Return of the Guardian
by buckwolvhoosier
Summary: A girl is prophesied to come to Alagaesia from another world called Earth. Is she really the one from the prophesy? Find out what other secrets lie within this twisted tale.
1. Chapter 1

**Return of the Guardian**

**Chapter 1**

The moon was bright against the cold, dark sky. It shown down upon the ancient forest and the lone girl that wandered aimlessly. She was both tired and hungry, as well as scared, for she had been lost for several hours. Her name was Lena, and she was out camping that weekend with her best friend Tany. Earlier that day, they were hiking through the woods, as was tradition over Memorial Day Weekend, but Lena had to go pee, so Tany had convinced her to go in the woods. No one was around, so Lena gave in, and she assumed that she must have wandered too far, because she was never able to find Tany afterward.

Lena sat down on a log to rest. She had her backpack with her that held a few supplies, like water and granola bars. She took out one of the bars and began to eat. As she ate, she studied the woods around her. For years she had been camping at Warren Park, and never once got seriously lost, so it confused her how she could not find her way back to the camp. She had screamed her best friends name many times, and never once got a response other than the song of a bird, or the chatter of a squirrel. Aside from calling out her friend's name, she tried to call her as well, but she never had any reception, which made no sense because there was a cell tower near the campgrounds. What really mystified her was the fact that even the woods suddenly looked unfamiliar. She shook of that last thought to take a drink of water. She was putting the cap back on when a howl reached her ears sending goose bumps along her arms.

_Wolves? How can there be wolves here?_ She tried not to panic, as she put the water bottle away and stood up. She lives only twenty minutes from Warren Park, and never were there any reports of wolves in the area. Several minutes past before she heard another howl, this time, the sound was closer. Lena wasted no time; she knew that the wolves must have caught her scent. Her inkling was correct as the wolves darted out from the trees only minutes after she began to race away. She had no idea where she was headed; all she knew is that she had to keep running.

As she ran, she looked for any climbable tree, or anything that could be used as a weapon. Finding nothing to use, she was forced to keep running. Her side began to cramp and her legs burned, causing her speed to decrease. A wolf nipped at her heels, but she dodged out of the way when it tried to pounce on her, with a scream.

The woods flew past as she ran until it gave way to a steep ravine. Lena began her descent, but tripped. She felt her body rolling down the hill, colliding with sticks, stones, and other forest debris. At the very bottom, she hit her head on a boulder, the wolves nearly upon her.

Eragon yawned, tired from the long day that had just transpired. Saphira was nestled beside him, humming deep in her throat. They were camped along Leona Lake, the cool water reflecting the moon. Brom was unrolling his bedding when they heard a distant howl.

"Another benefit to having a dragon, lesser creatures will stay away from you. If, by chance, they do decide to attack, Saphira can either tear them to shreds, or fly you away."

Eragon chuckled, and closed his eyes, allowing himself to succumb to sleep. If it wasn't for the bone-chilling scream, he would have already been asleep. He quickly became alert, grabbing his sword, and stood up next to Brom who was wielding Zar'roc. Soon after the scream, there was another howl. "The wolves are after someone!" Eragon concluded, running towards the sounds. Brom chased after him, telling Saphira to stay at the camp.

Within minutes, Eragon could see the ravine and the girl that was beginning to race down in, but tripped. He saw her roll the rest of the way down and hit her head, the wolves starting to make their descent. He knew that he could not traverse the distance in time to attack the wolves with his sword, so he stopped and raised his right hand. "Brisingr!" A garish blue flame shot from his palm and struck one of the wolves before it could bite the girl. The wolf yelped in pain as it crashed into a bush. The other wolves disregarded the girl to fake their new opponent.

Eragon used the spell again. Another wolf was struck, and after, the pack finally decided to disperse, leaving Eragon and the girl alone. Brom caught up with Eragon, who was making his way towards the girl. The first thing he noted when he saw her was her strange clothing. She was in blue pants made from an unfamiliar material, and a red shirt with white writing on it that was cut off at her arms. She was also wearing a backpack and on her feet were strange looking shoes.

Covering her face was long dirty blonde hair. Eragon kneeled down and wiped the hair from her face. "Brom, she is hurt, we need to take her to our camp and tend to her there."

Brom gazed at the girl on the ground. He was puzzled by her appearance as well, but had no reason to believe that she was working for the King. "Fine, but you are carrying her." Eragon lifted her up bridal style and carefully walked her to their camp. "Have Saphira stay far enough away so that the girl will not immediately see her when she wakes up."

Saphira rolled her eyes and proceeded to rest farther from the camp, but close enough where she could still see her rider. _Where do you think she came from?_ The dragon asked both of them.

Eragon shrugged. Brom sighed, and said, "We will have to ask her." Within forty minutes, Lena began to stir. She was on a blanket near the fire with Eragon hovering over her. The first thing she saw when her eyes fluttered open was Eragon's blue eyes. Disoriented, she paid little attention to his attire.

"What happened?" She asked, weakly.

"I drove the wolves away before they could hurt you." Eragon helped her to sit up.

She rubbed her head and looked at her surroundings. "I do not recognize this part of camp, so where exactly am I?" Her words slipped out before she noticed horses tied to a tree. She looked back at the men and finally saw their clothing as well as their swords. "Who are you?" she groaned.

"I am Eragon, and this is Brom." He was glad that Saphira was out of her line of vision because the girl was beginning to become frightened.

"I am Lena, and I will be waking up from this dream very soon, so do not get your hopes up. I just want to see my best friend Tany." Lena closed her eyes and pinched her skin. When she opened her eyes again, the men were still there giving her concerned stares.

"Are you all right, miss?" Brom asked.

"I do not know. Pinching usually does the trick."

"Does what?" Eragon was confused.

"Wakes you up from a dream. This is a dream, right?" She was starting to hyperventilate.

"No, I do not think this is all a dream." Brom said, carefully. "Where are you from?"

Lena looked at Brom. "Obviously not from around here. Where is here exactly?"

"Why, you are by Leona Lake."

"Impossible! There is no such lake where I am from." She felt her heart begin to race once more. "This is all a dream, this is all a dream." She repeated to herself to try to stay calm.

"Tell me, where are you from?"

"Well, I was on a camping trip with my friend Tany and we got separated while hiking. I should not be by a Leona Lake, if anything I should be along Lake Michigan. This has to be a dream, and I will wake up from it."

"What if this is not a dream?"

Lena scoffed. "How can that be possible? Logically, that is absurd. No, this is a dream, and I really hope I wake up from it soon."

"Lena, I believe that this is real, and that you somehow crossed some portal into our world. Michigan is from Earth, isn't it?"

"Look, Brom, you sound ridiculous. There is no such thing as crossing a portal like in those sci-fi movies, this is just a dream!" The more she tried to convince herself that this was a dream, the less she began to believe it, which started to freak her out.

"If this were a dream, then your pinch would not hurt, would it?"

Lena's face paled. She pinched her skin and felt the pain that went along with it. "If this is real, then where the heck am I?"

"You are in Alagaesia."

"Oh okay." Lena said, her head spinning. Eragon caught her before she hit the ground, unconscious once again.

Brom looked at Eragon and then at the girl. Never once did he believe in the prophesy until that very moment.


	2. Chapter 2

Return of the Guardian Chapter 2

Lena woke up with a groan. _This cannot be happening. _She sat up and observed her surrounding's better. The sun was out, so she could see things that she had missed during the night. The two men were talking, well more like whispering, but stopped when they noticed her awake.

"Glad to see that you are awake. I have been discussing with Eragon about what is to be done with you, and we agree that we will have you travel with us." Eragon smiled down at her as the old man talked.

Lena nodded her head, to indicate that she was listening. When he finished, she said, "Sir, I appreciate what you have done for me, but I do not wish to travel with you. I just want to go home."

Brom sighed. "I am afraid that your request will be hard to fulfill. You see, I do not know where the portal is that brought you here. Lena, you need to know something, but before I explain, maybe you should eat something. I am sure you must be hungry."

"Fine, what do you have to eat?"Looking around, she did not see much food. Eragon grabbed a pack and took out some beef jerky, bread, and cheese. He handed then to Lena along with a water skin. "Oh no, that's all right," she said, refusing the water. She opened up her bag and pulled out a bottle of water. "I might as well finish this up first." Eragon stared at the strange bottle.

"You must tell us about your world, I am very curious."

"Perhaps, but right now I need to know where I am, and what I am doing here." Lena took a bite out of the bread. It was hard and bland, but it was either eat it or starve. The cheese was worse than the bread, but the jerky was good. While she was eating, Brom began to explain to her where she was at. He took out a map and pointed to their location along the lake.

"We were supposed to travel into Dras Leona today, but obviously plans have changed." He then began to tell her why they were traveling. When Saphira was mentioned, her jaw dropped.

"Whoa! Slow down. You mean to tell me that there are dragons in this world?" Lena could not believe what she was hearing.

Brom laughed and nodded at Eragon. Saphira soared above the, circling around the camp. Finding a decent place to land, she began to dive towards the ground. Lena watched as the dragon swooped put of the dive and clamped her feet in the dirt with a perfect landing. "She is magnificent!" Lena exclaimed.

Saphira gazed at the girl with her orb like eyes. "Saphira says hello." Eragon said.

"Saphira can talk?" Lena asked, confused.

"Sort of. We can communicate with each other with our minds."

"Wow." That was all she could say to that. She took a drink from her water bottle. When she finished she said, "So, let me get this straight. He," she pointed at Eragon, "is a Dragon Rider and the three of you have been traveling across the land to hunt down these creatures that you call the Ra'zac. Your King is a Dragon Rider as well, but his original dragon was killed, so he ended up forcing another dragon to serve him. You believe that this King has formed some sort of alliance with the Ra'zac, and even the Urgals, and that they would do anything to capture Eragon and Saphira."

They nodded. "Right, well good luck to you guys, but where do I fit into all of this?" Her head hurt as a headache began to pound inside her skull. She rummaged through her bag and took out a small jar filled with white pills. The men eyed her curiously. "What? It's for my headache. I always have to come prepared." She popped two pills in her mouth and finished off the rest of her water.

Brom recollected his thoughts and said, "Anyways, I believe that you might be part of an ancient prophesy."

Lena almost choked on her water. "What?"

"It has long been foretold that there would be a girl from a strange land, called Earth, who would come to be in Alagaesia. Many believe that she would come at a time when Alagaesia is in great need, and that she would help rid the land of some growing evil."

Lena scoffed. "Do you know how cheesy that sounds?" When they gave her a blank stare, uncertain what her question meant, she was forced to rephrase. "I meant o say that it sounds so cliché. There are so many tales about stories like this, and they all end the same. The prophesized person would save the day and everyone lives happily ever after. Ugh, gag me now."

"This is not some story Lena, this is our lives. This is our home…"

"Your home, not mine." Lena said.

Brom was starting to get irritated, so Eragon took over. "You are right, but, you were sent here for a reason. Please, you have to at least try to help."

Lena stood up. She was shorter than Eragon, but she still spoke as if she towered over him. "I know very little about this land, how can I possibly help you? You have a dragon, I don't. You have sword, and other weapons, I don't. You…" She was about to make another point, but was cut off.

"Yes, but you have something that none of us have."

Lena stared at him. "And that is?"

"Knowledge about your world. There must be something that you know from your world that can be used to benefit us." Eragon pointed at her backpack. "Take a look at what you have compared to our meager traveling gear. Do not tell me that there is nothing that can be used to help our cause in there."

"Okay, fine." She grabbed her pack and opened it up. From her pack she pulled a few granola bar wrappers, empty water bottles, some shells, sea glass, a sweatshirt, and a hair tie. "You see, nothing in here that is useful."

Brom rubbed his temples. "There was also that medication that you took, and, is there something in your pocket?" Lena acknowledged the medication, and then shoved her hand in her pocket to reveal her cell phone.

"This is probably the only useful thing that I have, but it is worthless here. I have no reception."

"What exactly is it?" Eragon asked.

"It's called a cell phone. It is a communication device. From this phone, I can call my friends, text, take pictures and videos, and even surf the internet. It also can be used as an MP3 player." She had a purple Blackberry Curve from Sprint. She gave it to Eragon to look at. "Press the black button in the center." He pressed it and the backlight turned on to show the menu. She had a picture of a cookie as her background image.

"This is fascinating. Do you know how this works?"

Lena laughed. "If you think that you can replicate a device like this here, you have got to be joking." She took a deep breath to calm herself down from her outburst. "Look, as much as I would like to help, I really can't. You might as well help me find that portal."

"The portal is invisible; it is not something that you can physically see. Also, it is rumored that the portal is never in the same spot twice, and, if it could be found, the chances of it being open is slim. No, you are better off traveling with us."

"This is a living nightmare." She sat down on the ground, hugging her legs to her chest. For the first time since her arrival, she was trying to refrain from crying. "I just want to go home."

"Come with us, and fulfill your duty. I am sure that along the way, you will learn what it is that you need to do here. Once you are done, I have reason to believe that you will be able to go back home."

"Sounds almost like _Chronicles of Narnia_." She said to herself. "I guess I have no choice, but" she motioned at her attire, "I kind of stand out. If I am this prophesied girl, and you three are fugitives, don't you think I ought to look like a woman from this land?"

Brom smiled. "I was just about to mention your clothing. I already figured out a way to get you some clothes. You will stay here with Eragon and Saphira. I will make my way to Dras Leona, buy you a dress, and come back."

"Sounds good to me, although, wouldn't the guard wonder why you keep coming and going?" Lena asked.

"Leave that to me." Brom said, saddling his horse. "I better be off. I cannot guarantee that I will be back by nightfall. If that is the case, you should assume that I rented out a room and will then join you tomorrow. If I am not back by tomorrow afternoon, I am probably captured, or worse."

"Very comforting to know." Lena said, waving him goodbye. When the man was out of sight, she turned towards Eragon, "So, exactly how did you save me from those wolves?"


	3. Chapter 3

**Return of the Guardian Chapter 3**

"That is a lovely bracelet." Eragon pointed at the bracelet that was on her right wrist. It was a silver charm bracelet, the only charm being a heart with a rhinestone diamond "S" in the center.

Lena looked up from looking at pictures on her cell phone to say thanks. "May I ask where you got it?" Lena exited out from the pictures and turned off her cell to preserve the rest of the battery.

"My mother gave it to me for my eighteenth birthday. She said that it was a family heirloom handed down from mother to daughter. I actually have no idea what the "S" stands for. My mom said that it was something that I had to find out on my own."

Eragon's eyes widened. "Do you think that you might find out what the "S" stands for while you are here in Alagaesia?"

She shrugged, "Who knows?" There was a silence that followed after. Since Brom left that morning, Eragon had been asking her questions about her world, and has been answering questions she had about Alagaesia. She showed him her cell phone, browsing through her pictures, videos, and songs. He showed her some of the things that he could do with magic. She was not entirely shocked to hear that there was magic in Alagaesia, but, the concept was sill overwhelming in general.

The sun was just beginning to lower in the sky. Saphira returned from hunting with a deer carcass. Lena tried not to throw up at the sight of the bloody animal. Eragon saw her become nauseous. "Lena, are you going to be all right?"

She took her eyes away from the animal to look at Eragon. "I think so. It's just that I am not used to seeing such…such a sight. I mean the worst I have seen is my cat eating a mouse."

Eragon chuckled. "This is a lot more gruesome, yes. I can ask that Saphira not to eat in front of you, if you'd like."

"No, I will be fine. Really. It was just a little unexpected is all."

Saphira took off with the deer anyways to eat out of her sight. _I'm sorry, I did not mean to make her sick, but, I will not continue to eat in private like this. I am a dragon after all, and she just will have to get used to the sight._

_Be nice, Saphira. _ Eragon chided. "She says that she is sorry."

Lena felt a little awkward and starting playing with her hair, bored. "So, do you think that maybe you could teach me how to sword fight and shoot an arrow?"

Eragon smiled. "Of course!" He stood up, "In fact, come on, I can give you your first lesson." He grabbed a bow and arrow. "Might as well start off with this." He demonstrated how to string the bow, notch an arrow, and then shoot. After, he gave the bow to Lena. "Your turn."

"You better not laugh." When Eragon promised, she took her stance. The arrow landed halfway between them and the tree, which was their target.

"That really wasn't too bad for your first time."

"Thanks. Now, fetch me that arrow so that I can try again." She practiced until the sun began to sink in the sky. She had the arrow hit the tree a few times, but none became embedded. Eragon told her that with she was on the right track.

"You have the idea of it, you just need to pull the arrow farther back when you shoot to give it more force behind it."

"My arm is not strong enough to do that right now." She sighed. Eragon was busy making the fire.

"With more practice, you will be able to build up that strength."

Lena nodded and sat down on the ground. "I bet you that a year ago I could have done it. Back then, I was in band where I played the trombone. I was one of the few girls in my section." She smiled at the thought. "I really miss band."

"I did not know that you could play an instrument. That is really interesting. What else did you like to do?"

She told him how she loved to work with computers and had to describe to him what a computer was. That subject alone took her a good hour and a half to explain, especially with all of his questions. He was impressed, again, when she said that she was one of the few girls into computers. By that time, he had dinner ready.

Brom did not return that evening, so they really hoped that he had rented a room. "Do you think he is okay?" Lena asked. She was wearing her sweatshirt and lying down on a blanket that Eragon had given her.

"He better be. I am tired of saving him." He said, sarcastically.

"What do you think Dras Leona is like? I will be the first city I will see here."

"I am not really sure. Brom said that it would be unlike any that I have seen. If that is the case, then I ask that you do not judge the rest of the cities here based on Dras Leona."

Letting out a small laugh, she said, "I will try my best not to, but you know what they say, first impressions is key."

"That is true." He poked the fire with a stick. "So, if I may be so bold, what was your first impression of me?"

_Crap!_ Lena became silent as she pondered what to say. Finally, she said, "Well, you had just saved my life, so that would mean that you are caring, helpful, and sensitive, as well as strong. Now, what was your first impression of me?"

"Smart, instinctive, and tough. I say that because you had managed to evade the wolves for quite a while before you fell."

They continued to talk until Lena became tired and fell asleep. Eragon and Saphira took turns keeping watch that night. In the morning, Brom had returned safely with the clothes. He had bought Lena a green, long sleeved dress, boots, and a cloak. He also handed her his dagger. "Keep this on you at all times." She shook her head, and then went to change into her new clothes.

She was girlie enough to actually like the dress, but she disliked the fact that she would be wearing this outfit for a long time. Shaking her head, she headed back to flaunt off the dress. "Well, how do I look." She said, catching Eragon trying to suppress a blush.

"Wonderful," Brom said. "I am glad that you like it."

"What do you want to do with my old clothes?"

"I say we burn it. We cannot risk anyone finding it."

Lena nodded, and then asked for one request. "We can burn this along with the backpack, but please, I have to have my cell phone. I can keep it hidden well enough, I promise."

Brom did not feel like arguing with her, so he complied. "You can keep your hair tie as well." He said, handing it to her. After, they burned her backpack and clothing. Once they were done, they started off to head into Dras Leona.


	4. Chapter 4

**Return of the Guardian Chapter 4**

Morgan stumbled out of the door, fumbling with her keys. The music from inside could clearly be heard as she made her way to her car. It took her several minutes to get the car door open, but once she was inside, her cell phone began to ring. She ignored it once she saw the screen, "Mom." Rolling her eyes and starting her car, she began driving down the street, swerving.

Running all the stop signs in the neighborhood, she was finally stopped at a busy intersection. She made a right turn, cutting off a car, and then began to accelerate. She turned on her radio, and looking up, she saw the light turn red. With her fuzzy mind, she did not think to stop. Not even halfway across the intersection, she looked to her left to see the bright lights of another car.

* * *

Morgan's head throbbed. She tried to move, but found herself immobile. Opening her eyes, she found herself in a poorly lit room. At the far end there was a fireplace and a desk. A tall man stood facing the fireplace, and turned around when he heard her begin to stir. "Now that you are awake, you can tell me who you are." The man's eye's almost looked black.

She shook her head to try to clear her headache, but it only made her head hurt even more. "I am Morgan." She managed to say.

The man snapped his fingers. Immediately after, a bald man appeared at his side. The tall man whispered something into the bald man's ear, and with a bow, the bald man left. He returned shortly with a small bottle in his hand. "Drink this." He placed the bottle to Morgan's lips. Without much of a choice, Morgan drank the contents of the bottle.

The three of them did not talk for several minutes. Morgan felt her headache subside, and as her mind began to clear, she began to remember the party. What happened during and after the party was uncertain. _Damn, I was wasted last night._ She focused her attention towards the strange men. It was then she that saw what they were wearing. The tall man was in a fancy red tunic with a bellowing cape. Upon his head was a gold crown. He had black hair that rested just above his shoulders. What his age was, she could not tell. His facial features were angled making him look inhuman. He also had long black nails that were sharpened to a tip.

The bald man wore a silver robe. Tied around his waist was a belt with a dagger. His eyes were a pale blue, but in the terribly lit room, it looked as if they were pure white. "Tell me, Morgan, where did you come from?" The tall man said.

"Who are you?" Morgan asked, testing her courage. She was unsure if she should be scared of them or not. All she knew was that she was tied up and had to answer some questions.

"I am King Galbatorix." He did not even mention who the bald man was. "Now, where did you come from?" She could tell that he was becoming impatient.

"Well, I live in Saint Stevens if that is what you mean?" She then asked, "What do you mean when you say that you are a King?"

Galbatorix smiled and snapped his fingers again. "Untie her." The bald man obliged and released the bonds from the young woman. "Please, take a seat." He motioned at a cushioned chair. "Would you like something to drink?"

Morgan took a seat, but refused a drink. "Please tell me, where am I and what is it that you want from me…wait! You are holding me at a ransom aren't you? Just because my father is rich…"

Galbatorix stared at her, rolling his eyes. "Listen, girl, I am not holding you at a ransom. I am here to tell you that you are no longer in your world any more. You are in my world now, and you are going to help me!" He sipped a glass of wine.

"Wait, what did you just say? Your world? Look, I do not have time for this. I have to be somewhere, and I am already late." She stood up.

"Sit back down!" The King paused to control his temper. "I will only explain this once to you, so listen up. You are a part of an ancient prophecy and have come to Alagaesia help save it from a growing evil. There is a rebel group, called The Varden, who have defied me and are out to seek my demise. Will you help me destroy them? I assure you that you will be greatly rewarded." The King opened a box that was sitting on the table. Morgan looked inside and saw a gorgeous diamond necklace.

The King also revealed a black and orange floral dress. "Oh my god! It's beautiful!"

"And they are yours."

"Fine, I will help you, but can you tell me how I got here, and how long this might take?"

The King nodded, and described in detail about the portal and what he wanted her to do to help him defeat the Varden.


	5. Chapter 5

**Return of the Guardian**

**Chapter 5**

**Author's Note**: In the previous chapter, I did not specify when that took place. After I had completed it and had the chapter posted, I realized that you need to know that it took place _two weeks before _the events that take place in Chapter 5. I apologize for any confusion. Now, I can begin Chapter 5.

* * *

It was early afternoon when they arrived at Dras Leona. Saphira stayed hidden in the woods while they visited the city. Dras Leona was encircled by a meager wall of mud. Small children begged for food and money at the entrance. Looking at their pale, shrunken faces reminded Lena of the photographs she had seen of the starving children in Africa. Her heart ached to help them, but alas, she had nothing to give them. All she could do was vow to help them one day.

As the thought entered her mind, she realized how attached she was becoming to Alagaesia. She did not dismiss it; rather, she let it linger in her mind. Even though she had been in the land for a short amount of time, she could not help but feel as if she had been there before. The feeling was not very strong, but it was still present in the back of her head.

Her thoughts were disrupted when Brom began talking to her. "While you are here, you need to keep a low profile. That means that you have to act like you are from this world. Women here do not have the same freedoms as in your world."

Lena nodded. She was already aware of that fact, but made no response to his remark. She followed him past the small, crowded, and dirty buildings near the entrance. The further they proceeded into the city, the nicer the buildings became. In the middle of the city there stood a vast cathedral. In order to see the entire structure, she had to arch her neck. It was beautiful and haunting at the same time. Curious, she asked Brom what the religion was worshiped inside that particular cathedral.

"A very dark and horrifying religion; their prayers go to Helgrind." Brom pointed at the distant tall, black tower that loomed above them. "Every one of its followers is missing a limb of some sort. They believe that blood and flesh sacrifices are pleasing and causes them to have a weaker connection to the mortal world."

Lena's face formers into a cringe. "That is disgusting. And I thought some of our world religions were weird."

Brom laughed. "You will have to tell me more about your religion, oh what was it, Chris-something."

"Christianity. And yes, I can tell you more about it, of course, at a more appropriate time." Brome led them to an inn and rented out a room. They planned to only stay up to two days; after two days, they would discuss another course of action. Once they had a chance to relax, they started to go over their plan, which was to locate merchants who sold seither oil.

"We should split up. I can go alone and the two of you can work as a team. Meet me back here an hour before sunset." Lena and Eragon nodded at Brom's instructions.

Right at the get-go, Lena already hated Dras Leona. The more she explored the city, the more she hated it. Eragon's statement reeled in her head as they roamed around asking about the oil. _Do not judge the rest of Alagaesia by Dras Leona._ If that was truly the case, she wondered what the other cities were like.

After about two hours of asking around, Eragon and Lena headed back to the main square. Upon their arrival, they heard an auctioneer. Neither of them could hear what he was trying to sell until they saw a boney man standing next to the podium. He must have been middle aged, but through extreme hard labor, he now looked like an old man.

The slave was sold to a rich man in silk robes. "This is utterly barbaric." She whispered to Eragon. "Slavery has been long abolished where I come from."

"I did not even know there was still slavery in Alagaesia. I have to do something about this." He balled up his fists as his anger rose.

"What can you do? Brom told us to keep a low profile. Saving slaves is a sure way to grab attention."

She was right, a fact that made him furious. He stormed off, away from the scene, just as a little girl was wrenched from her mother's arms. Lena was unsure what to do, so she awkwardly followed him. _He really cares about those people. _When he had calmed down a bit, she suggested that they continue their search.

The rest of the day was just as unsuccessful. Eragon and Lena returned back to the inn in low spirits. "Maybe this was a bad idea after all." Ever since the auction, Eragon had been in a crummy disposition.

"Do not give up yet. Maybe Brom found out some information." At the inn, they found Brom. He looked tired and nervous at the same time.

"Brom, what's wrong?" Eragon asked.

"I think we made a grave mistake coming here. The King is on his way and will be here tomorrow."

"What?" Eragon and Lena exclaimed in unison.

"King Galbatorix apparently has some announcement that he wants to disclose."

"All right, but why did he choose Dras Leona? Why couldn't he give the speech in Uru'baen?" Eragon's heart sank in his chest as he spoke.

"Because of the way that the Governor of Dras Leona has been acting. The King figured that by coming here he could accomplish two tasks: straightening out the Governor and making his speech. Dras Lenoa is a major city, so it still makes sense that he would want to give a speech here."

Eragon sat upon the bed and placed his head in his hands. "I have doomed us all."

"No, you did not, Eragon." It was a stupid statement, but Lena felt inclined to try to make him feel better.

He rolled his eyes and asked, "Shouldn't we leave the city?"

"No, it is already getting dark and the guards will not let anyone leave. All day tomorrow, people may enter the city, but they cannot leave. It is the Kings way of trapping anyone who is here."

"And, how are not doomed?" He asked Lena.

"I say we just continue to lie low. None of us have proof that the King knows we are here. And, if he did know, how would he know what we look like?"

Brom nodded in agreement. "What she says is true. Right now, let us eat and get ready for bed. It's obvious that we are all tired."

Eragon reluctantly got up to pass out their dinner. After having some food in his stomach, Eragon felt a little better. He apologized for snapping at Lena and stared to unroll his bedding on the floor next to the bed. Lena looked at the bed, analyzed it, and then shook her head. She began to make her bed next to Eragon on the floor.

"Lena, what are you doing? You have the bed to sleep on." Brom said.

Lena scoffed. "Are you serious? That bed is crawling with bugs and you want me to sleep on it! Yeah right. I will be just fine on the floor."

"I thought we agreed that you would behave like a typical woman of Alagaesia. If someone were to barge through that door," he pointed at the door, "how do you think it would look for them to find a woman sleeping on the floor?"

Eragon finished making his bed and turned his attention towards Lena. She was still insisting to sleep on the floor. "The only thing that a person would care about if they barged through that door is to get what they came for. I do not think they would be offended to see me sleeping on the floor."

"What about the innkeeper? He would be insulted if he learned that you slept on the floor instead of the bed."

"The only way he would find that out is if he barged through the door himself, which is very unlikely." She sat down on her blankets refusing to move.

The scene was so ridiculous that Eragon could not help but to laugh. "Let it go Brom, you honestly cannot win in this case." He was amazed at her intellect as well as her stubbornness.

"Fine, I will sleep on the bed then." Brom made his bed, and eventually fell asleep.

Lena and Eragon stayed up and talked for a while before they succumbed to sleep.

* * *

The tension was high as the three of them made their way to the square. Eragon informed Saphira to be ready in case they needed to escape. The King had arrived and was about to make his announcement to the people in Dras Leona. They stood where they had a clear view of the King, but far enough away so that they would remain unnoticed, or so they hoped.

The King strode up to the podium. This was the first time that Eragon had seen the King. He was a tall man with black hair that almost reached his shoulders. He wore a bellowing red cape and had a shiny golden crown on his head. His eyes were dark and menacing.

"My fellow Alagaesians, today I have a wonderful announcement to make. Today I will reveal to you someone who is said to be a part of an ancient prophesy."

Lena's face paled. Her heart pounded wildly against her ribs as the kings words sunk in. She felt Eragon's gaze upon her and turned her head to look at him. He was also very concerned and made a non-verbal notion that they should begin to vacate the premises. Brom gave them the official nod, and then they slowly, they started backing away. Before they made it out of the crowd, Lena heard the king announce a name that was not hers. She spun around and saw a dark haired girl around her age step up to the podium.

Eragon and Brom stopped in their tracks and stared at the girl next to Galbatorix. Next to them, they barely heard Lena whisper, "I know her; that is Morgan Fey."


	6. Chapter 6

**The Return of the Guardian**

**Chapter 6**

"You know her?" Eragon asked, a little too loud. A few people nearby turned around to see what all the commotion was about. Lena pressed her index finger to her lips to signal him to be quieter. Brom rolled his eyes and shooed away the people telling them that the boy was crazy. When the people ignored them once again, Brom grabbed Eragon by the arm and began dragging him away from the square. Lena followed them back to the inn.

Inside their room, Brom scolded Eragon for nearly exposing Lena. He said that he was lucky that no one cared enough to question them. Eragon said he was sorry, but Brom was still angry with him. "Sorry will not help her if she is exposed." In shame, Eragon stared at the floor. Lena made a non-verbal cue to Brom making him leave Eragon alone.

"Anyways, Lena how do you know Morgan?" Brom asked. He was still surprised that there was another girl from Earth who had come to Alagaesia.

"I went to school with her." No one interrupted her with more questions, so she continued her tale. "I have been her classmate since Kindergarten. We were never friends, but when she was younger, she was nicer than she is now. When we were in fifth grade, her father got promoted to become a CEO at a local company, so she ended up moving into a huge house and became a spoiled little brat. When that happened, she started to think that she was better than everyone else and started to treat others like crap." Lena paused for a moment to recollect her thoughts as she noticed herself getting off track.

"For the most part, she had left me and my friends alone, until our Senior year. We were both in marketing class and the teacher announced that we had to do a group project. We had to create a product and then make an infomercial about it. Instead of allowing us to choose our partners, Mrs. Czech selected who we had to team up with. Of course, I got stuck with Morgan. During the week, we had managed to get an idea of what our product was and over the weekend, we were supposed to make the video.

"I took the initiative and invited her to come to my house to shoot the video, but she insisted that we make it at the local park. So, I told her that would be fine and asked her what time she wanted to meet me. That weekend, I spent three hours bumming around the park waiting for her to show up. I tried calling her, but I only got her voicemail. I did not want my grade to drop because of her, so I called my friends and made the video without her. Come Monday morning, the day the project was due, I made a note to the teacher explaining why Morgan was not in the commercial.

"When she found out that she received a failing grade, she came after me, pouting like some child. She had said that she had an emergency to attend to and that she had tried to get a hold of me to reschedule. I told her that she was a liar and that her grade was final. What I didn't know is that she had been failing many of her classes, and that she needed to pass marketing in order to graduate.

"I didn't care about her petty little taunts towards me, but when she began to start rumors about my friends, I snapped. She had accused my best friend, Allie, of being a whore! Then, she said that Tany cheated her way through high school, and went as far as to try to plant evidence! After school one day, I confronted her, and we got into it. It took both my best friends to hold me down. Needless to say, I hate her, and I can't believe that she is here in Alagaesia!" When she had finished, she was practically yelling. Brom gave her some water to get her to calm down.

Eragon perked his head up when Lena began to describe what Morgan had done to her and her friends. Since then, he had been gazing at Lena, studying her. As she took a drink from the canteen, she felt his eyes upon her. Their eyes met when she turned to look at him. From his eyes, she could not tell his emotions; they were just soft and bright. Their connection must have only been for about a second, but it was long enough for her to realize his attraction towards her.

When Brom began to speak, Eragon severed their connection to face the old man. Lena continued to look at him for a few more seconds before she turned her attention to Brom. "Well, the question now is this: which one of you was the prophecy referring to?"

The sound of Eragon's laughter filled the room. "Are you serious? Did you not hear a word that Lena had said? How could the prophecy be referring to Morgan?"

Brom made his rebuttal. "They are both here, aren't they?" Eragon scoffed.

"Who cares what the prophecy foretold? I am here, and she is here. There must be a reason why, but until we are certain, we should just let it rest. Everyone thinks that she is who the prophecy had foretold. No one will ever suspect that there is also another. I just have to keep my cell phone hidden, and I can cross Alagaesia without suspicion." Lena said.

"Yes, but you still have to behave like a woman from Alagaesia as well." Brom said, hinting at their sleeping arrangements from the previous night.

"If you expect me to sleep in that bed of bugs tonight, think again. Like I did last night, I am sleeping on the floor."

"Why must you be so difficult? The bed is fine."

"And, since you like the bed so much, why don't you sleep in it another night?"

"Fine!" He threw up his arms. "I will sleep in it again." He mumbled under his breath about how impossible she was.

* * *

A thunderclap woke Lena in the middle of the night. The room lit up as lightning streaked across the sky. With a boom, the thunder shook the room. Lena sat up and pressed her back against the wall watching the storm outside the window.

"You really should get some sleep."

Lena jumped at the sound of Eragon's voice cutting through the darkness. After she composed herself, she said, "I can't sleep now. It has been so long since I have seen a decent thunderstorm."

"You like thunderstorms?" Eragon sat up, yawning.

"I love storms. Why, do you ask?"

Eragon watched as a bolt of lightning lit up the sky. When the thunder that followed dissipated, he said, "I have never met a girl who isn't afraid of thunderstorms is all."

"That is until now." Lena smiled and rested her head against the wall, still staring out the window.

For the next hour, the two of them watched the storm. Lena felt her eyes become droopy as a yawn escaped her lips. She was lying down on her stomach facing the window. "You are tired, Lena. Get some sleep." Eragon coaxed, tired himself.

"But, I am not tired." Contradicting her statement, she closed her eyes. Within a few minutes, she had fallen asleep, the storm still raging outside.

Eragon noticed that she was not completely covered, so he grabbed her blanket and pulled it until it covered her shoulders. "Goodnight, Lena."

In the morning, Eragon found a note left by Brom. It said that he was going to explore for more details about the oil and that he had left them some coins under the mattress. They were free to roam the city, but they had to be cautious.

Eragon relayed the message to Lena after she finally woke up. Eating breakfast, she started to realize something; Brom is constantly leaving her alone with Eragon. Whether it was on purpose, or just coincidence, she didn't know. All she knew is that Eragon liked her, and she began to like him as well.


	7. Chapter 7

**Return of the Guardian**

**Chapter 7**

The king had already left with Morgan for Uru'baen. The King did not want her to be out and about in attempt to keep her ignorant. Eragon and Lena took the day to browse the numerous shops and pavilions that Dras Leona had to offer. As instructed by Brom in the letter, Eragon had his bow with him. Despite the storm during the night, the day was warm and sunny. After a meal consisting of fresh bread, cheese, and beef jerky and a cherry pie for dessert, they strolled close to the cathedral. Within close proximity, they could see the details carved into the marble and iron. The spires stretched into the sky as if they wanted to touch the heavens.

The church was not like any church Lena had ever seen. It was very gothic giving off a sense of foreboding. "I wonder what it looks like on the inside?" Eragon asked as he started to make his way towards the stairs.

"Eragon," she whispered, "Are you crazy? That church represents a horrible religion, and you want to check it out? Just look at it; it is so ominous and even sinister!"

Eragon halted and turned towards Lena. "You have got to stop doing that."

Lena cocked her head, confused. "Doing what?"

"Using such big and descriptive words. If people were to hear you, they might wonder about your background. No common woman would say such words, but a noblewoman might. People here are not as educated as you."

Lena could not believe what he was asking of her. "You want me to act dumb? I am sorry, but omitting such words from my vocabulary will be extremely difficult, and…"

"There you are doing it again! Just the way you structure your sentences suggest that you had a proper education."

Lena scowled. "You might as well suggest that I remain utterly silent while I am here." She crossed her arms.

"That would not be a bad idea." Eragon suddenly became defensive when Lena uncrossed her arms and balled up her fists. "Lena, please; I am just trying to help. I did not mean to offend you. I only ask that you try your best to refrain from such proper language while we are in the city. When we leave, you can go back to your normal way of speaking."

Lena relaxed when she understood where he was coming from. "I hate this. There is nothing wrong with being an educated woman."

While Eragon was thinking of ways to help Lena fit in, he noticed a shop selling ribbons and lace. Upon the sight, he had an idea. "Come with me, I want to give you something." He walked passed her heading towards the shop. With no time to respond to him, Lena simply followed behind. When she saw the shop selling ribbons, she stopped in her tracks, rolling her eyes. "I don't believe this." She mumbled under her breath. Eragon came back with a long green and white paisley ribbon. Reluctantly, she turned around so that he could tie it in her hair. She had a ponytail, so all he had to do was wrap it around and tie a bow.

Finished, he dragged her over to a mirror. "Honestly, you look beautiful." Lena looked in the mirror and saw the green bow sticking out of her hair. As much as she hated to admit, the bow did compliment her. In the background, she saw Eragon smiling. Her cheeks started to heat up as she felt a blush coming on. Glancing away from the mirror, she spotted a bright pink ribbon.

"Oh look! This one can be yours." She joked.

Eragon narrowed his eyes. "Very funny." Satisfied that she was able to embarrass him enough, she asked him what he wanted to do next. "I still want to see that cathedral."

Lena groaned. "What are you, scared?" he mocked.

"I am not scared; I just do not think that going inside the church is a very good idea."

"Why? It's just a building." Eragon started walking back towards the church.

"Well, I do not want to see it."

"Fine, then I will go and see it by myself."

"What? You can't just leave me here." She ran up beside him.

"Then come on." He said, urging her forward.

With a sigh, she walked alongside him heading up the steps. Above the iron-wrought door was an inscription in a language that Lena did not recognize. "Do you know what it says?" she asked.

"May thee who enter here understand thine impertinence and forget thine attachments to that which is beloved." Eragon said, doing his best to translate the Ancient Language into the common tongue.

"Sounds lovely." Lena said with sarcasm. Eragon opened the door and stepped inside. The air was still and cold. The silence that enveloped them sent a chill down her spine. She looked around the dark room and saw that no one was around. The walls were bare and dotted with stained glass windows that depicted scenes of hate, anger, and remorse. Statues stood between the windows, the eyes pale and menacing. Their boots padded noiselessly across the polished stone floor as they walked up to the front.

The altar was an undecorated slab of stone. Organ pipes adorned the wall behind the altar. Lena felt awkward and wanted to leave the gloomy building as soon as possible. Eragon knelt to the ground, out of respect for the building, not the religion itself. Lena did not understand what he was doing, so she asked him.

"Just because the religion is not ideal does not mean that you cannot pay homage to the craftsmanship of the place."

Lena refused to kneel, so she stood there waiting for Eragon to stand back up. She was busy observing one of the windows when Eragon got up and faced the door and froze, his heart hammering like a drum.

The Ra'zac stood at the entrance. They had their swords drawn, their blades red in the crimson light. "Lena." His tone evoked a seriousness that she could not ignore. She looked at him first. Seeing him stare at the entrance, she shifted her gaze until the creatures came into view.

"The girl isss free to go; we have no need of her."

Eragon grabbed his bow and shot an arrow. Two more followed directly after. The Ra'zac successfully evaded the arrows, hissing. "Lena, go, now."

She shook her head. "No, I'm not leaving you alone with…" speechless, she pointed at the beaked monsters.

Eragon admired her sudden courage, but he did not want her to get hurt. He gently grabbed her by the shoulders and looked into her eyes. "Go." Once more she shook her head. By this time the Ra'zac started to charge after him. Behind them, he noticed that soldiers began to file in as well, their red capes bellowing around them as they ran.

Fear gripped Lena. _I am in way over my head_. She felt a warmth on her hand followed by a tug on her arm. It took her a second to realize that Eragon was pulling her. "Lena, come on!" Recollecting her thoughts, she allowed Eragon to lead her away from the Ra'zac. He spotted an opening and ran through it. They continued through the corridor until a closed door forced them to skid to a stop. Eragon pounded on the door, but it would not open.

The Ra'zac was gaining on them. Frantic, Eragon yelled, "Jierda!" Lena cringed and let out a startled cry when the door splintered into pieces. The sped through multiple chambers and eventually came across a group of priests. Shouts and curses followed them, along with a bell that tolled an alarm. They dodged through a kitchen and ran past some monks. They abruptly stopped when they entered a garden surrounded by a high brick wall.

Eragon jumped up, his fingertips barely able to touch the top of the wall. His body slammed against the bricks. Catching his breath, he forced himself up the wall. Lena was shorter than him and was unable to touch the top. Eragon lowered his right hand. "Jump!" Eragon's hand clasped hers in a tight embrace. As he pulled her up, Lena's cell phone fell out of her pocket and landed in the dirt below.

The Ra'zac and the soldiers stood at the garden's entrance, staring at them. Eragon wasted no time; as soon as Lena was on top of the ledge, he hopped down. He turned in time to catch Lena when she jumped. Their eyes met briefly upon impact, their bodies close together.

The sound of the Ra'zac hissing alerted Eragon back to reality. They continued to run for at least a good mile before they stopped to catch their breath. They were in a crowded market and were unsure if they lost the Ra'zac. Eragon spotted a wagon and dived under it. Lena followed suit. Panting and covered in sweat, Eragon contacted Saphira. When he had confirmation that Brom would meet him at the inn, he rolled out from under the wagon.

"Lena?" Eragon crouched down and looked under the wagon when Lena did not emerge. "Lena, what's wrong?" She was grasping her stomach and had a look of pain strewn across her face.

"I can't move." She managed to mutter. Her abdomen seared with pain. She mentally cursed her bad luck, holding back tears as the pain coursed through her body.

_Saphira, change of plans. Something is wrong with Lena; I think she got hurt. Tell Brom to head into the market. Once there, he can find us under a wagon. Tell him to hurry!_ Eragon crawled under the wagon.

_Is she bleeding?_ Saphira asked.

Eragon was about to say no, but then he saw Lena lift up one of her hands. Dripping off one of her trembling fingers was blood.


	8. Chapter 8

Return of the Guardian

Chapter 8

The last few hours was a complete blur for Lena. She barely remembered when the soldiers found her and Eragon under the wagon, the Ra'zac lurking from behind a distant building. One soldier reached under and tried to grab a hold of her, but Eragon grabbed the dagger Brom gave her and drove it into the soldier's hand. The next thing she remembered, Brom crashed through the marketplace with the horses. Scrambling out from under the wagon, she got on the horse behind Eragon. Riding for their lives, they made it out of the city and into the wilderness. Hours later, they stopped to make camp, but lit no fire. Feeling very awkward, she briefly told Brom what was wrong. She remembered seeing him annoyed as he rolled his eyes. She could not blame him, but it was not her fault that she had started her period.

"I knew this was going to happen, but I did not think it would be this soon." As he spoke, he handed her a bundle. "There is a stream nearby. No one will be watching, so you do not need to stray far." She nodded and made her way to the stream. The blood had soaked through the dress, so she took it off and rinsed the stain with the cold water. When most of the blood was out, she set the dress out to dry a bit while she took a quick bath. Refreshed and satisfied, she returned back to camp. Brom handed her a piece of bread, beef some jerky, and a small bottle.

"The bottle contains some medication that will help ease the pain. That is all I can really do." Lena gave him her thanks and ate. It was not soon after that she fell asleep.

It was dark when she woke up. Looking around, she saw that only Brom was awake. "How are you feeling?" he asked, quietly.

"Better than before, but still not that great." She didn't think her statement was funny, but she still heard Brom chuckle.

"I am glad you are doing better. For the longest time, Eragon thought it was his fault. When I finally told him what was really the matter he looked so relieved."

Despite what Brom and Lena thought, Eragon was not completely asleep. He was still conscious enough to hear them talking, and was about to say something, when Lena began to talk about him. Curious, he said nothing to hear what she had to say.

"He means well, but he still has a knack for getting into trouble." Lena said.

Brom nodded, "He did say that you did not want to enter the cathedral."

"I did say that, but he is so stubborn and insisted that we check it out."

"If only he had listened to you, we might not have the Ra'zac chasing close behind us."

The more he listened, the more defensive he became. Once more Eragon wanted to say something, but held his tongue when Lena said, "Brom, it's not his fault the Ra'zac found us; they were the last thing I expected to find at the cathedral. I didn't want to go because the whole building was just eerie." Brom wanted to say something, but she held up her hand. "I am just saying that the Ra'zac would have likely found us somewhere else if they did not find us in the church."

"Perhaps you are right, Lena. I guess I was a little too heard on him."

Her ears perked up when he said this. "Brom, what did you do?"

"I scolded him. The two of you were almost captured and I blamed him for not lying low."

"Look, entering the church was stupid, granted, but he still got me out of there. When I turned around and saw those beaked monsters, I was frozen stiff with fear! It was him that literally dragged me away from them."

"I guess I should give him some credit…"

"Some? Brom, I've never seen that side of him before. Since the day I met him, I always got this quirky vibe from him, and I never seen him as much of a warrior. I mean look at him!" she pointed down at where he lay. Brom laughed.

"I think I know what you are trying to say; he impressed you."

"Aye, he did."

Eragon took pleasure in hearing her speak about him, but a noise made him sit up. His sudden movement alarmed Lena. "Eragon?" He got up and looked into the trees surrounding their camp.

"Eragon what is it?" Brom asked.

"I thought I saw something. Maybe it was just a bird." He turned around and looked at his companions. Lena did not look happy.

"You were awake the whole time weren't you…" as she said this, a dark figure emerged from the trees. "Eragon, look out!" It was too late, the Ra'zac had already rendered Eragon unconscious.

"Lena, get back!" Brom unsheathed his sword. The commotion awoke Saphira. Lena covered her ears when the dragon's deafening roar filled the camp. Saphira came charging after the Ra'zac, but halted when one placed a blade at his neck. "Come any clossser and he diesss."

"No!" Lena yelled, running towards the monster. She did not get very far; the Ra'zac grabbed her and threw her to the ground.

The distraction was enough for the other Ra'zac to disarm Brom. He looked at Saphira and then at Lena and Eragon. Left with no other option, they surrendered. The Ra'zac bound them with thick rope and bound Saphira in chains.

When they were finished, they shoved a foul smelling liquid in her face. "Drink thisss." After she refused, he grabbed her cheeks forcing her to open her mouth. Once the contents were in her mouth, he placed his hand over her lips to make her swallow. He did the same to Brom. Within minutes, she was unconscious.

Lena began to gain consciousness. Opening her eyes, she saw a lantern followed by an outline of a Ra'zac. She tried to move, but found that her hands were bound; it was then that she remembered what happened earlier. Shifting herself, she saw Eragon and Brom. Across the way, she saw Saphira in chains.

"She was most cooperative when we threatened to kill you," hissed the Ra'zac. He was busy talking to Eragon. When he finished, he began to rummage through their bags. Pulling out Zar'roc, the creature gleamed. "What a pretty thing for one so…insignificant. Maybe I will keep it." He leaned in closer towards Eragon, "Or maybe, if you behave, our master will let you polish it." The Ra'zac looked over the blade once more. When he came across the symbol on the scabbard he said, "You will serve our master very well, yesss."

"If I do, I will kill you." Eragon said. Lena could tell that he was still trying to be brave, despite their precarious situation.

"Oh no," the creature chuckled coldly, "we are too valuable. But you…you are disposable." He then turned his cold gaze towards her. "And you…you are very valuable to my master. He will be pleased to know of your existence." Behind him, the other Ra'zac pulled out a small, purple device.

"My cellphone…" she gasped.

Their attention was diverted when Brom groaned. "It'sss wearing off."

"Quick, give him more."

"Let'sss just kill him," the other Ra'zac said.

"Remember what our master said, we are to keep them all alive."

"We can sssay he was killed when we captured them."

"What of these two," he pointed his sword at Eragon. "What if they talk?"

His companion drew a dagger and walked over towards Lena. "They wouldn't dare."

There was a pause, then, "Agreed." The Ra'zac near Eragon dragged Brom to the center of the camp. Eragon tried to get free, but the rope was too strong. "None of that now." Unable to do anything, he looked helplessly at Lena, and then back at Brom.

The other Ra'zac lifted back Brom's head and placed the dagger at his exposed throat. Lena closed her eyes and looked away, tears rolling down her cheeks. A swooshing noise filled the camp followed by a Ra'zac's howl. Lifting her head, she saw an arrow protruding from the Ra'zac by Brom. Another arrow flew through the camp, hitting the Ra'zac near Eragon. Hissing, he barely dodged another arrow, scuttling over to his companion. Neither of them made no attempt to stop Brom as he staggered upright.

"Get down!" Eragon yelled at him.

From the opposite direction, more arrows soared through the camp. Several pierced the Ra'zac. With wild cries, they began to flee the camp, one of the Ra'zac kicking Eragon in the side. The other grabbed a dagger and threw it at Eragon.

Lena saw the knife fly towards Eragon. Before it could pierce him, Brom's body got in the way as he threw himself in front of Eragon. "No!" Eragon screamed, still doubled over in pain. Footsteps were heard, but before he could see who they belonged to, his world went black.

Lena looked at the man who entered the camp. He was wearing a black cloak that kept his face hidden until he lifted his hood. He looked about her age and had black hair and dark brown eyes. "Who are you," she asked.

"I am Murtagh."


	9. Chapter 9

**Return of the Guardian**

**Chapter 9**

Murtagh cut the rope that bound Lena's hands. Without hesitation, Lena stood up and grabbed a nearby sword. Her hands shook as she pointed the blade at the man in black.

Murtagh put up his hands. "There is no need for that; I am not going to hurt you."

"I will be the judge of that." Lena said, trying to stay calm. "Eragon and Brom are hurt, but before I tend to them, I want to free Saphira." She pointed at the dragon.

"I just saved you from being captured by the Ra'zac, and this is how you repay me?" Murtagh was becoming annoyed.

"I appreciate what you did, but that does not mean that I can trust you. How do I know that once I turn my back you will not run off, or worse, hmm? If you mean well, then you should have no problem helping me free Saphira. Then, we have to attend Brom and Eragon."

When Murtagh did not speak immediately after, Lena became nervous. But, he finally spoke after he pondered her words for a few more seconds. "Fine." Lena dropped the sword when he started to walk over to Saphira. It did not take very long to free the dragon.

"There, you are free." Lena said as the last chain fell to the ground. "Now, help me with Brom." She ran over to where the old man lay. The dagger had went right between his ribs, the blood oozing around the wound. "This is bad, this is very very bad." Lena said softly to herself. Murtagh kneeled down next to her.

"I have to remove the knife." Lena nodded her head. Murtagh placed his hand on the hilt. "When it's out, I need you to place your hand over the wound and apply as much pressure as you can." Again, Lena nodded her head.

"I'm ready." There was more blood than what she had anticipated, but she still held her hands over the wound while Murtagh grabbed a few rags.

"Okay." Lena lifted her hands so that Murtagh could replace them with the shredded material. "This is all I can really do for him right now. Until the bleeding is under control, I cannot properly clean the wound."

"I understand." Lena's stomach flipped as she looked at her hands. "I am going to wash off the blood." Walking away, she heard Spahira's voice enter her mind.

_I am not letting him touch Eragon until you get back, so hurry!_ She growled.

The water was cold as she rubbed the blood off her hands. When she returned to camp, she noticed Murtagh pinned to the ground. A smile formed on Lena's lips. "It seems I am not the only one who doesn't trust you."

"How can I prove myself if no one will even give me a chance?" He asked as Saphira released him.

Lena ignored his question to focus on Eragon. She lifted up his shirt to reveal a large bruise on his left side. Using her fingers, she pressed down against the discolored skin. "I can't really tell if any of his ribs are broken, can you?"

Murtagh gestured her to move over. She complied to allow him to prod Eragon. When he finished, he sighed. "It is hard to tell, but I think he has at least two that are broken."

Between the two of them, they mended Eragon's chest using strips of a blanket. When they finished, Murtagh got up to take a drink of water. He offered Lena the canteen after.

"Thanks." Murtagh stood there awkwardly waiting as Saphira gazed down upon him. "Now," said Lena, "how did you find us?"

"Will you believe what I tell you?" Lena narrowed her eyes. "It's an honest question. What I am about to tell you may not seem like the truth, but I assure you, it is."

"Stop beating around the bush and get to the point."

"I was chasing the Ra'zac."

"Why?"

"I am not going to lay out my entire life story before you, but you are not the only enemies the Ra'zac have."

"Fair enough." Lena looked around the camp. "I guess we should clean up and then make a plan. Do you know if they will come back anytime soon?"

Murtagh shook his head. "We have at least a day, but I'd rather we not linger that long."

Lena frowned. "Linger? You aren't suggesting that we move them? That's ludicrous!"

"We can't just stay here until they are healed either."

In frustration, Lena rubbed her temples. "Unless you can come up with a safe way to move them, we are staying here."

"Whether it is safe or not, we have to move them or else we will all be captured, or worse!"

"Look, I do not know who you think you are, but those are _my_ companions, and Saphira and I are in charge of them- got that?" The venom in her voice startled him.

"Then you will be the death of all of us!"

Saphira growled, ending their argument. _Tell him that we are staying here, and that is final. We will stay here until either Brom or Eragon wakes up so that we can ask for their opinion._ Lena relayed Saphira's message to Murtagh.

"Well I very well can't argue with a dragon can I?" he snapped, giving in.

"Now, let's clean up, and maybe get some rest.

Within two hours, Eragon began to stir. By that time, Murtagh and Lena had built a fire to keep them warm and to make some soup. Lena hovered over him when he began to open his eyes. Looking up at her in the dim light, he started to remember what had happened. Upon the revelation, he quickly sat up. Pain erupted from his broken bones making him cry out.

"Some of your ribs are broken, so you need to take it easy." She instructed.

When most of his pain eased, he finally spotted Murtagh sitting at the far side of the fire. "Who is he?"

"His name is Murtagh. He is the one who saved up from the Ra'zac."

Eragon studied the man for a moment, then, "Help me up." Taking his hand in hers and placing her other arm around his back for support, Lena helped him to his feet. With her continued help, he staggered over to where Brom lay. "How is he?"

"Not good." Murtagh said. Eragon slowly knelt to the ground and lifted the rags that covered the wound. "No, he will bleed to death!" Eragon did not listen.

_Saphira, I will need your help._ Placing his right palm over Brom's chest, he chanted, "Waise heill." A garish blue light emancipated from his hand as the magic knitted the skin back together. When the process was over, Eragon was even weaker than before.

"Come, you need to eat and rest." Eragon nodded and allowed Lena to help him over to the fire. After, she handed him a bowl of soup. As Eragon ate, he kept glancing up at Murtagh.

_Who is this stranger?_

_I am not quite sure myself, but he means well._ Saphira said.

_How long has it been since the Ra'zac fled?_

_Only a few hours. We need to leave before they come back, but how can we with Brom this hurt?_

Eragon thought for a moment then said, _I can make a litter and attach it to you. That way you can carry Brom._

_Little One, that is a great idea._

Returning his attention to Lena and Murtagh, Eragon told them how they can move Brom. Satisfied that they had a reasonable plan, Lena was finally able to get some sleep while Eragon stayed up with Murtagh. As she slept, Eragon could not help but stare at her.

Taking notice, Murtagh said, "You fancy her."

The statement was true, but hearing it come from a stranger made him uneasy. With a hardened expression Eragon glanced at Murtagh.

"Whoa, I meant no offense," he said, putting up his hands. "She's not like any girl I have met, so I can understand why you like her. I mean the way she took control while you were unconscious was unbelievable. How did you meet her?"

Eragon stiffened. "If you don't mind, I'd like to keep that to myself." To Saphira he said, _What did Lena do when I was unconscious?_

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to pry." When he was silent, Saphira explained to Eragon all that had happened since he lost consciousness. When she finished, Eragon looked at Lena.

_She has a lot of potential. Now, we have to try to keep her true identity a secret from Murtagh. I do not trust him yet._

_Aye._

* * *

Durza scowled. "How dare you come here without the boy."

The Ra'zac cringed, "We may not have him, but we do have this." Pulling Lena's cellphone from his pocket, the Ra'zac presented it to the Shade.

Durza's eyes widened upon seeing the purple device. "Where did you get this?" He snatched the phone from the creatures hand.

"We found it in Dras Leona. A woman traveling with the boy dropped it."

"A woman?"

"Aye."

"Very well. You may go now." Durza gestured them to leave, still staring at the phone, a snarl on his lips.


	10. Chapter 10

**The Return of the Guardian**

**Chapter 10**

Morgan stared out the window overlooking the vast castle gardens, bored out of her mind. At first she had enjoyed Alagaesia as the King threw her party after party, but as the weeks passed, the parties began to diminish and she found herself with nothing to do, and worse, no one to talk to. All her friends were back on Earth and there was no way she could communicate with them; her dearest wish at the moment was to finish helping the King so that she could go home.

A bird landed on the edge of the roof, the annoying creature chirping every few seconds. Morgan sighed and shooed the bird away to gain some peace and quiet. The sun warmed her skin making her eyes droopy and before she knew it, she had fallen asleep at the window.

It was dark when she was awoken by her maidservant. "Excuse me miss, but the King has requested your presence in his study."

Morgan yawned, sitting up. After she stretched, she allowed her servant to tidy up her hair and dress before she left her bedroom. At the King's study, she knocked once. "Enter." The king had a deep, rich voice.

"You wanted to see me, sire?"

Galbatorix motioned for her to sit. "One of the Ra'zac I sent after Eragon has found something of value. Durza gave me the device only hours ago and I need your help deciphering it." He opened a drawer and pulled out a purple cell phone. "You had something similar, correct?"

Morgan's eyes grew big as she stared at the phone. "This is impossible…" She grabbed the phone when the King offered it to her.

"It seems you are not the only one from Earth here in Alagaesia. Durza said that the phone belonged to a young woman about your age who had long blonde hair and blue eyes. Can you help me learn more about her identity through this device?"

"Probably. I can look through the contact list and see who she talks to, though, if I do not know any of the people, I will not be of much help. But, this is also a camera phone which means she will probably have pictures of her and her friends on here. I have a feeling that would be the most useful tool." Morgan pressed a button, turning on the phone, the Sprint welcome screen glowing seconds later. When the phone had finished loading, she used the touch pad to direct the cursor over to the phone book. The names that popped on the screen startled her. "No…it cannot be…"

The King's interest grew when he noticed Morgan's behavior. He watched as she exited the list of names to select a photo album that contained about thirty five pictures. "Oh my God! This is Lena Penn's phone!"

Galbatorix smiled. "Excellent!" He took the phone after Morgan had shut it down and tossed it on the desk, pissed.

"Excellent? That I hate that bitch! She is the reason why I got held back year. What the hell is she doing here? I thought _I_ was the prophesized girl? How can we both be here?" She crossed her arms and began mumbling curses under her breath.

The King chuckled, enthused by Morgan's hatred towards the girl. "I do not know why she is here either, which is why I need her captured and brought to me immediately. While we wait, I want you to tell me everything you know about this Lena Penn."

Lena and her companions traveled farther than she had anticipated given their injuries. The land had changed drastically as well, the trees and lush land giving way to a more rocky terrain where the only plants that grew were prickly little bushes that reminded her of tumbleweeds. Above them, Saphira flew, Brom dangling a few feet below her belly on a litter. When the sun was low in the sky, Eragon had the company halt. "We will camp here for tonight."

Murtagh wrinkled his nose, displeased. "We are much too exposed here. I propose that we find a cave to settle in. I am sure there are several hidden among the rocks."

Eragon sighed. "We do not have much time. The sun is almost set and I am tired and very sore."

"Have Saphira scout the area for a cave or crevice. If she cannot find one within ten minutes, then we camp here. Can we agree on that?" Lena said, tired herself.

Pleased with her suggestion, the two men nodded, Eragon relaying the information to his dragon. They only waited a few minutes before Saphira had found a suitable place to camp. She gave the directions to Eragon who led the group to the cave. "Yes, this will do nicely," Murtagh mused.

Lena helped untie Brom from the litter and carry him inside where he was placed on along the wall. After, Murtagh ran off to collect wood for a fire. Lena was unsure where he would find wook in such a place, but an hour later, he returned with an armful of wood. That night, they ate a very meager meal, talking sparingly. When they had finished eating, Lena insisted that she took the first watch. "You need your rest, Eragon."

Eragon relented when Saphira agreed with Lena and unrolled his bedding, a yawn escaping his lips. "Let me know if there is any change with Brom."

"I will," Lena promised. She sat propped against the wall playing with her fingers while Murtagh sharpened one of his daggers.

"How long have you known Eragon?"

His question was innocent, but she barely knew the man. "Why do you want to know?"

"I am only curious is all. The two of you seem close, and yet, you are not a couple?"

Lena sighed. "We can never be a couple, Murtagh. There are too many forces keeping us apart."

Murtagh pointed at the dragon who had her eyes closed. "Is she one of the reasons why the two of you cannot be together?"

Lena shrugged and whispered, "Sure."

"Your accent; it's very different. I have never heard it before, even on all of my travels. Where are you from?"

"I would rather keep that to myself." She grabbed a blanket and wrapped it around her shoulders.

"Fine, keep you secrets." He finished sharpening his blade and placed it back in its sheath. "I have many of my own, so I understand secrecy."

"Good."

Very little transpired between them as the night wore on. Murtagh eventually closed his eyes and slept while Lena gazed out of the cave entrance, staring up at the sky. The stars sparkled thousands of miles away hardly giving off any light compared to the half-moon that lit up the night sky. The constellations were alien to her and she wished that she could see the familiar Big Dipper. Feeling out of place, she began to think about her home.

A loud crash startled her. Lena looked around and noticed that Brom had knocked over a pack scattering the bowls they had used at dinner. His thrashing became more violent afterward. Frightened, she raced over to where Eragon slept. "Eragon, wake up. Something is wrong with Brom." When Eragon finally awoke, alarmed, he saw Lena's distraught visage.

"What's going on?" Murtagh and Saphira had woken up as well, both looking at Brom rather than Eragon and Lena.

"It's Brom." She moved out of the way so that he could finally see the old man. Immediately, he jumped out of his bedding and rushed over to the man. He was still convulsing on the ground.

"Help me retrain him!" Lena joined Eragon and held down Brom's legs. Eragon was holding down Brom's shoulders, wincing. The movements were making his chest throb in pain.

Suddenly, Brom stopped moving. Worried that the convulsions would start up again, Eragon and Lena continued to hold the old man down. "What do you want to do with him?" Lena asked, uncertain.

"I am not sure." A hand gripped Eragon by the shoulder, making his yelp in surprise. Brom's eyes snapped open afterward, fixing his gaze upon Eragon. In a raspy voice, Brom demanded the wineskin. "No, you shouldn't drink wine; it'll only make you worse."

Brom ignored Eragon and asked for the wineskin again. "Fine. I'll be right back." He glanced at Lena before he left to grab his wineskin. When he returned, they were shocked when Brom told Eragon to wash his right hand.

"No questions! Just do as I say." Eragon nodded, pouring the wine onto the hand. "More!" Lena let go of Brom's legs to join Eragon. She watched as he scrubbed Brom's hand until a familiar mark could be seen. Eragon's jaw dropped.

"You're a Rider?"

Brom managed a painful smile as he said, "Once upon a time that was true…but no more." The old man continued with his tale ending with, "…my young dragon was killed. Her name…was Saphira."

Lena felt awkward and left Eragon, giving the men some privacy. She joined Murtagh by the cave entrance. "He was always full of surprises, wasn't he?"

Lena nodded. "I wish I knew him better." She sighed, sensing that the cold chill of death would soon sweep over Brom. Gazing at the two men on the floor, she could not help but notice a certain closeness between them. It was very touching despite the ill mood.

The night began to fade when Brom breathed his last. Moments before, he had called for Lena's help, but there was nothing they could do. Watching the man die pained Lena; never before had she witnessed such a scene and she felt sick. Beside her, Eragon began to weep. When he managed to compose himself he said, "We have to bury him."

Lena nodded, unsure what else to do. She helped carry Brom's body out of the cave and to the top of the sandstone hill. Using magic, Eragon dug a hole in the stone and raised waist high walls. They placed Brom's body inside the tomb. Once the tomb was sealed Eragon wrote an inscription on the side that read:

HERE LIES BROM

Who was a Dragon Rider

And like a Father

To me.

May his name live on in Glory.

Eragon placed a hand upon the stone and bowed his head, mourning. Lena dipped her head as well, out of respect, and recited a prayer she had learned at Catechism. She placed a hand upon Eragon's shoulder, her sympathy flowing through her touch. Before she left Eragon, she whispered, "Rest in peace, Brom."

The following day was grim. Eragon sat beside the tomb for hours deep in thought. No one mentioned traveling for his sake; the pain was still raw and he needed some time to heal before they left the dismal cave. By late afternoon, Lena joined Eragon remaining silent as he dug his nails into the stone. The lines formed letters and before he realized what he had written, Lena read the words, "Why me?"

He looked up, trails of crusted tears upon his face, and met her gaze. "Have you ever lost someone close to you?"

Lena nodded. "My grandpa." She attempted to hold back tears as the memory of his death flooded her mind. "It was the day before our Wesling Family Reunion. I had gone with my mom to visit my grandparents and he was fine; all afternoon we discussed the reunion and when it came time for us to leave, I had forgotten to give him a hug. I was too excited about the reunion that we had left in a bit of a hurry. Because it was a reunion, I had wished that I could see my cousins. They lived far away and it had been years since I have seen them. I prayed and prayed for months hoping that they would be able to attend the event, but they could not. I was upset deep inside.

"Anyways, that night, as we watched a movie, a policeman came to our door. My mom answered. He asked if she was Karen Wesling, and she confirmed. I was surprised when the cop had mentioned my mother's maiden name. I was standing near the doorway listening when I heard him say that her father was requesting her at the hospital.

"In that moment, I knew something had gone horribly wrong. On the car ride to the hospital, I kept thinking about our afternoon together, praying that it would not be our last. Stepping into the room he was held, I saw him lying there on the bed and I knew he was gone.; he had died from a massive heart attack. Those were the bitterest tears I have ever wept.

"I never had a chance to say goodbye. His entire death was like a giant raincloud above my head. I felt like it was my fault too. A few days after he had died, I did get to see my cousins, the cousins I had desperately wanted to see. I could barely look at them as my shame sunk in." Tears rolled down her cheeks as she recited her story. Soon, she was crying uncontrollably uttering a few sentences every once in a while.

Eragon shared in her grief. Taking her in his arms, he let her cry into his chest. He did not mean to upset her by bring up such a terrible memory. Together, they wept for all the loved ones they had lost.


	11. Chapter 11

**The Return of the Guardian**

**Chapter 11**

Eragon sensed his dragon approach, her sadness radiating within the bond they shared. He was still holding Lena as her sobs subsided. Having her near calmed him and he was thankful to have her with him. She was the only one aside from Saphira that he could trust, and he treasured that more than anything. They had only been together for a few days, but he felt that he had known her much longer.

"Are you all right?" he asked. Lena suddenly clung tighter to his shirt as if she were about to cry again.

"He's gone," she said, barely above a whisper.

"Who?" Eragon was unsure if she was still referring to her grandpa.

"Brom." She looked up into his eyes. "He was the only one I knew who knew about the prophecy and the portal." Eragon paled as the realization sunk in. She was right; Brom seemed to know a lot about the prophecy and now he was gone. Her fear became his as he cursed under his breath.

"What are we going to do?" Her eyes were pleading with him.

He had to look away else he would find himself trapped in her blue orbs. He gazed at his dragon. _Saphira, what are we to do? Brom was my mentor and I feel so lost without him._

_Do you still want to pursue the Ra'zac?_ Saphira asked through their mental connection.

_Aye, I do, but the task is dangerous and we cannot defeat them. It was foolish of me to even think that I had a chance. No, I think my course must change; no matter how much I want revenge, I must be reasonable._

_Brom mentioned the Varden. Perhaps we should find them. They can offer us protection and maybe someone will be able to help Lena._

Eragon nodded. Lena knew he was consulting his dragon as soon as his gaze left hers. She waited patiently for his response, her head resting on his chest. _The Varden! Saphira, that's it! Thank you._

_You are welcome, Little One. _

Eragon felt better after he had a plan. Lena was now his responsibility and he did not want anything to happen to her. "Lena," he began, catching her attention. "Saphira and I agreed on a new plan. We decided not to pursue the Ra'zac and head straight to the Varden instead."

Her eyes widened. "I thought you wanted revenge…"

"I do," he said, not meaning to cut her off. "It's just there are too many of them and I cannot defeat them even with Saphira by my side. Brom was right; this was a fool's errand. But no more. The Varden is our best option."

"Where exactly is the Varden?" Eragon explained to her where it was located and the route he planned to take. "So far…" she trailed off.

"It is, but what else are we to do?" Lena shrugged. Becoming bold, he took her hands in his and said, "By my honor as a Dragon Rider, I promise to help you find a way home."

"So, you think someone at the Varden can help me?"

Eragon nodded. "There has to be someone. If we cannot find someone at the Varden, then we will look elsewhere."

"All right. We will head to the Varden. Just keep in mind that I will hold you to your word."

Murtagh cleared his throat. He had just gotten back from hunting and was surprised to find Eragon holding Lena so close. "I am sorry to interrupt, but…" he paused.

"Yes?" Eragon asked trying to get the young man to finish his sentence, letting go of Lena's hands.

"Oh, I found us some dinner," he held up two rabbits, "and, I was wondering how you were doing. You have been up here almost all day." He said this quickly, feeling bad for intruding on them.

Uncertain of his feelings, Eragon simply avoided the question. "You can start dinner. We will be down in a moment."

Murtagh nodded and left. When he was out of sight, Lena addressed Eragon. "Do you think we can trust him?"

Eragon thought for a moment and then said, "As far as I can tell, he means well. Besides, we cannot do this alone. We could use someone like him traveling with us."

"Someone like him?" Lena inquired.

"Someone who has skill with a blade. Right now I am injured and cannot fight very well. We would be wise to have him travel with us until I am healed."

"And if he refuses to join us?"

Eragon sighed. "Then, we make do without him. I will not make him come with us against his will."

"But, you will try to persuade him?"

Eragon shook his head in agreement. "Aye."

Lena stepped away from him and turned towards the tomb. "I'm going to miss him."

"Me too." They stood silent for a few minutes before Eragon said, "Come, we should go; Murtagh is waiting for us."

"Wait," Saphira stepped towards the tomb. Eragon sensed her melancholy as she stared at the structure. Slowly, she leaned in until her snout touched the cold stone. A garish blue light suddenly radiated from the tomb, frightening Eragon and Lena. The light engulfed the entire tomb and when it finally diminished, the sandstone was no longer visible. In its place was diamond.

Tears rolled down Eragon's cheeks at the tombs beauty. Inside, he could see Brom lying peacefully as if here were only sleeping. "Saphira…" he was at a loss for words.

The dragon dipped her head. _It was the least I could do. Now time cannot ravage him._

"Thank you." He walked up to Saphira and hugged her snout.

"What is going on up here…" Murtagh appeared with his sword in hand. Upon seeing the tomb, he stopped and stood stunned. "How was this accomplished?"

"It was Saphira." Lena said, smiling. The sun's rays shone through the crystal making it look as if it were on fire.

"It's beautiful." Murtagh uttered under his breath. When the sun was lower than the trees, they left the rock to eat dinner. Over the meal, Eragon explained his plan to Murtagh. After he had finished, he held his breath hoping the man would accept his proposal.

With a heavy sigh Murtagh rubbed the back of his neck. "You are asking a lot of me."

"I know." Eragon lowered his eyes and stared at the fire in front of him.

"You do not have to come with us, but it would be greatly appreciated. Besides, it's not like you would be helping some common stranger; Eragon is a Rider."

Murtagh studied Lena as she spoke. He could not figure her out no matter how hard he tried. He knew she had to be special in some way because she was unlike any woman he had ever encountered and that made him become interested. He wanted to know more about her and the only way he could learn more was to travel with them.

His eyes left Lena as he looked at Eragon. Murtagh had to admit that he felt obligated to help him. He was still injured and could not fight off the Ra'zac if attacked again and that bothered Murtagh. All his life he wanted to prove himself worthy and this could be his chance. "All right, I will travel with you until you are fully healed. After that point, I fear I must leave; I have no desire to go to the Varden."

Satisfied with that answer, Eragon gave the man his thanks and prepared himself for bed. That night, he dreamed about the imprisoned woman again. Weeks had passed since he had seen her and she looked worse than before. Trickling down one of her skinny fingers was blood and in his heart he knew he had to help her, but the question remained: how? He awoke, troubled, and shook his head to clear his mind. Murtagh was keeping watch and shot him a concerned glance.

"What is it?" he asked.

"A dream, I think." He decided it would not hurt to tell Murtagh about the recurring dream. When he had finished, Murtagh looked mystified as well.

"Well dream or vision, I have a feeling that it means something. Do not forget what you saw, but try not to let it fester in your mind as well. In time I am sure you will learn what the dream means."

Eragon nodded and laid back down closing his eyes. His mind no longer lingered on the woman, instead, he dreamed about Brom and all they memories he shared with him.

In the morning, they saddled their horses and left the dismal sandstone cave, saying goodbye to Brom for the last time. Eragon rode Snowfire, the horse Brom had used while Lena rode on Cadoc. Murtagh had his own horse, Tornac. The ride was slow due to Eragon's broken ribs Lena's monthly sickness, which made them halt when she doubled over in pain nearly falling off her horse. They took a break then and did not leave until her pain had subsided.

A week rolled by with a similar pattern. Each morning they would leave their encampment after eating a quick breakfast and travel southwest towards the Beor Mountains. At least twice a day they would stop for a break to eat and relieve themselves before pressing on again. When the sun became low in the sky, they would find a place to camp and prepare dinner. Each evening, Eragon would have Murtagh teach Lena how to sword fight.

Her first night was awful. The sword was heavy and she had trouble just lifting it let alone swing it around. The two men were patient with her and throughout the week, her arm became stronger. Aside from learning the sword, she continued practicing her archery, a task she liked better. With her arm sore, she fared no better than her first attempt. She knew it would be a while before she would become proficient with the sword and bow, but it gave her something to look forward to.

"Despite what you might think, you are progressing quite fast," Eragon said one evening.

Lena had just finished sparring with Murtagh and was covered in sweat and grime. "How do I know you are not just saying that to flatter me?"

Eragon chuckled. "You don't."

Lena smiled and took a long drink of water before passing the canteen over to Murtagh. The night was still young, but she was exhausted. She handed Zar'roc, the sword she had been using to spar with, and sat down on her blanket. "I hope you are right though. I'd hate to remain a burden forever."

The smile Eragon had faded instantly. "Lena, you are not a burden. If anyone is a burden, it's me." Saphira growled, upset that her Rider would say such a thing. Before she could tell him otherwise, he explained his reasoning. "I can barely move without my ribs igniting in pain. Until I am healed, I will be unable to fight or help out much around camp. So, for the time being, I am a burden for I am forced to rely upon others where you can still take care of yourself well enough."

She felt better after hearing his rebuttal, but she still felt like a burden. After all, she still knew little about the land she was in and had no idea what she was even doing in Alagaesia. She may be able to physically take care of herself, but she depended upon his guidance. With Murtagh around, they had little time to talk about the prophecy, so she had to keep up the pretense that she belonged there, an act that she feared would remain permanent.


	12. Chapter 12

**Return of the Guardian**

**Chapter 12**

A constant buzzing finally awoke Eragon. With a quick clap of his hands, he killed the mosquito, glad to be rid of the bug, though several more buzzed nearby. He would have gone back to sleep if it were not for the sun beginning to peak above the horizon. Yawning, he made himself get up. Murtagh was poking a patch of moss with a stick, a look of boredom upon his face. Upon seeing Eragon awake, his expression changed as a smiled crossed his lips. "Good, you're up. I was just debating whether or not I should wake you. We need to be going. This place is dreary and I have a feeling the Urgals may have discovered our flight path. During the night, I thought I heard something, but I never heard the noise again, so it could have been my paranoia."

Two days ago, Saphira had spotted a band of Urgals heading in their direction. In desperation to lose them, Murtagh suggested that they travel through an area of marshland. Unable to come up with another solution, Eragon agreed and had him lead the way. Traveling through the moist land was difficult, but they still managed to cover nearly half of the swamp. Through luck, they found a more solid patch of land to rest upon.

Eragon shook Lena awake, leaving camp about an hour later. By the end of the day, they were pleased to find themselves out of the marshes and away from the mosquitoes and smell. Saphira could not see any signs that the Urgals were following them or that they were nearby, but they lit no fire that night, despite the chill in the air. At dinner Eragon commented on the weather. "Given how far south we are, you'd think the air would be warmer."

Murtagh grunted and took a bite of his stale bread.

"Weather is always changing. I am sure a storm is brewing somewhere, sending us a cold front. Since the air is milder here the land would receive rain instead of snow like up north," Lena said.

Murtagh raised his eyebrows, but said nothing, her knowledge astounding him once more. He wanted to know who had been her teacher for he, or she, had taught her well. In fact, he openly admitted that she had more knowledge than him and he had grown up among the elite of Alagaesia!

"Snow, now there is something I do not miss. Each winter my cousin and I had to dig ourselves out, a task that nearly left me with frostbite." Eragon over exaggerated.

Lena laughed. "I know what you mean. I had to do the same, though, I still enjoyed winter. The snowball fights made it all worth it"

"What about you, Murtagh. Did it snow where you grew up?" Eragon asked, his curiosity growing.

The man nodded. "Aye, I had snow where I grew up. Like you, I never liked it much."

"Seriously? You two are hopeless; are you suggesting that I am the only true northerner here?"

"No, there is Saphira. She does not mind the cold." Saphira hummed in approval.

"Right, well, in that case, if we ever come across snow, I will fly upon Saphira and bombard you two with snowballs." Her comment made the men chuckle. Saphira became amused as well, a plume of smoke erupting from her nostrils.

"That is hardly fair…" Eragon began only to get cut off.

"Hey, you have magic, so you are not completely helpless."

_She is right about that. You could launch multiple snowballs at once and with a more accuracy._ Saphira said to Eragon only.

Lena turned to Murtagh and became stumped. "You might be helpless though…" she giggled.

Murtagh narrowed his eyes and said, "You may be surprised. I have a few tricks up my sleeve that you do not know about."

Fascinated, Lena continued to taunt him. "Really? Like running away screaming as snowball after snowball pelts your head."

"Very funny, Lena."

"Or how about Saphira picks you up and drops you in a snowbank?" As she thought about it, she then said, "That would be kind of fun…"

Her silliness made Eragon laugh heartily. After traveling with her for almost three weeks, he discovered that she can be very random and hyper at times, a part of her personality that he adored. Many times she has brightened his mood and that night was no exception. The first time she had expressed that side of herself, he was afraid she had gone mad, but then he learned that she normally acted that way among friends, prospect that heartened him. She no longer regarded him as some companion she was forced to travel with, but as a friend that she could trust.

Lena and Murtagh bantered back and forth about their snowball fight for several minutes before Murtagh gave up Throwing up his hands, he said, "You are relentless and I yield; I am no match to your creative mind."

When she had her laughter under control, Lena began to unroll her bedding.

"I will take first watch," Eragon said.

Murtagh stayed up with Eragon, too restless to sleep. They sat quietly for a while before he broke the silence. "I am tired. Wake me when you decide to get some sleep."

Eragon practiced his skills with magic as his companions slept. He kept his spells simple to avoid using too much of his energy, merely using the magic as entertainment. When he became too drowsy, he stopped playing with magic and laid down to stare at the stars for a while before waking Murtagh. By his calculations, he had only been keeping watch for an hour and a half. His mind wandered towards Lena, a subject that he often found himself thinking about whenever he had time to himself.

He knew he was falling for her; each passing day his feelings have been grown and he knew that when it came time for them to part he would beg for her to stay. Alagaesia was not her world, but he fervently wished that she would consider making it her home, a thought that he knew was selfish. He could not help himself; she had already been branded upon his heart.

When he could not keep his eyes open any longer, Eragon woke Murtagh and fell asleep. Not long after he had closed his eyes, Eragon was jolted awake. Above him, Murtagh loomed. "What is going on?"

"It's Lena. She woke up a few minutes ago after scratching her neck. I did not think much about it until she ran off to vomit."

At the mention of her name, Eragon sat up nearly bumping his head against Murtagh. He alerted Saphira as he ran towards Lena. She kept scratching her neck, her long nails nearly making her bleed. Eragon knelt before her and chanted. Immediately, a glowing orb rose above them giving him enough light to see. He grabbed her hand to make her stop scratching, his eyes growing big when he saw multiple red bumps. "It looks like a really bad rash," he said.

"Yes, but that does not explain why she threw up." Murtagh sighed.

Turning his gaze back to Lena, Eragon asked, "How do you feel right now? Is anything else bothering you beside your neck and stomach?"

She nodded weakly. "I have a very bad headache and…" she trailed off, her head drooping. Eragon pressed his hand against her forehead. It came as no surprise when he felt her skin burn with a fever.

"I need a cold, wet rag. She's burning up." Murtagh obeyed, rummaging through his pack to find an old shirt. He ripped off a section and poured water from his canteen onto the fabric. Eragon had Lena lie back down before he placed the cloth upon her forehead. "We're going to need more water. Saphira stay here with Murtagh. I am going to the creek."

The rest of the night became a battle, the fever winning no matter how hard Eragon tried to bring it down. Lena had fallen into a fitful sleep by the time he had returned with a bowl full of water. During that time, he conversed with Murtagh and Saphira hoping they would figure out what had caused her to become ill, and most importantly, how to help her get better.

When she showed no signs of improvement by morning, they had to make an important decision: should they stay at their makeshift camp for the day, or travel? Murtagh wanted to leave, but Eragon was afraid to move Lena. "We just shook off the Urgals and you want to stay here? I understand that she is sick, but keeping her here will not help her either."

_He is right, Eragon. Have Lena ride on my back. I will alert you if there is any change to her condition._

_ Fine._ He was not completely satisfied, but he knew that Saphira would take care of her. At the end of the day, Eragon became worried. Throughout the day Lena had only gotten worse, not better. She complained of a sore throat when they stopped to rest in the afternoon, but in the evening, her lymph nodes had become swollen. She also had trouble keeping food and water down as her nausea heightened.

Out of desperation, Eragon scanned the area. Brom had educated him about the various regions of Alagaesia and the plants that grew there, and using his memories, he hoped to find something that would help her. He came across a white flower with a bright yellow eye. The plant was tall with a branched stem that had several leaves on each stem. Kneeling, he observed the plant more closely. He closed his eyes after and thought back to what Brom had told him.

"…_when all else fails, look for the Maticaria Flower. It is not a cure, but it can slow the infection or virus." _ He recalled the description of the flower and after consulting with Saphira, concluded that he had found the Maticaria Flower. Glad to have found something, he raced back to camp where he boiled some water and let the flower petals steep for fifteen minutes. Finished, he handed the drink to Lena.


	13. Chapter 13

**Return of the Guardian**

**Chapter 13**

Eragon held his breath when he neared the entrance to the village. There were only a few people ahead of him, each one entering with ease, and he hoped the same would happen for him and Lena. She was sitting on Snowfire, barely conscious, a cough escaping her lips every few seconds. They were almost at the gate when the guard shouted for them to halt. Trying to act calm, Eragon looked at the man clad in armor.

"What's wrong with your friend?" The man pointed at Lena.

"She is tired and is not feeling very well," he admitted. Lying would do no good, but he also did not want to tell the guard how sick she really was. That might cause panic and the guard would never let them into the village.

"What is your business here?" The man crossed his arms.

"We only wish to see your healer."

"How sick is she?"

"Nothing too serious I presume, but I lack the medicine to help her nonetheless."

The guard scrutinized Lena before waving them forward. "Very well, you may enter. Just do not cause any trouble."

"Thank you."

The village was no larger than Carvahall, but it was more crowded. As planned, Eragon and Lena met up with Murtagh. He had entered the village an hour before them and waited by a well.

"Good, you got in; I was beginning to get nervous." Murtagh uncrossed his arms and stood up.

"I was nervous as well. We must lie very low; the guard barely let us pass and I think he may be on to us, well Lena and I specifically." Eragon looked around to become familiar with his surroundings. Saphira was nearby and would swoop in if they were in trouble, but Eragon wanted another escape route just in case.

"Aye, this village is off a major road, so word travels fast. I guarantee there are pictures of us posted on the village's bulletin board."

"I do not want to venture to figure that out. Come, let us find the herbalist."

The shop reminded him of Angela's, at least on the outside as herbs hung from the roof and a musky scent clung to the air. Inside, the shop was virtuously clutter free unlike Angela's where there were random gadgets lying around. The items were organized alphabetically and placed behind a glass counter. At the site, Eragon became amused; she was by far one of the cleanliest people he had ever met and he had a feeling that she would be able to help Lena, even though he had not yet spotted the woman. The entire shop calmed him and he sensed that Murtagh felt the same.

"Hello, is anyone here?" Eragon asked when no one made an appearance after a few minutes.

"Yes, I'm coming." The woman sounded startled and came into view a few moments later. "My apologies, I fell asleep and did not hear you come in. What can I do for you?" She scanned her visitors and suddenly became interested in Lena. "Good heavens! Is she all right?"

"Well, no, that is why we came here."

"Of course; it was silly of me to ask, but I tend to do that a lot. Please bring her back here." The herbalist lifted up a part of the counter and waved her guests through.

When Lena was placed on a bed, the two met sitting on wooden chairs, the herbalist asked, "Do you know what is ailing her?"

Eragon shook his head. "Can you help her?"

"I will do my best. By the way, my name is Greta," the herbalist said as she placed her palm on Lena's forehead.

"I am Derik and the woman you are examining is my wife, Trisha."

"My name is Olson," Murtagh said, quietly.

Greta examined the bumps on Lena's throat and then looked at the men "I am going to ask you a series of questions. Physical aspects are only half the illness. I need to know what is going on inside of her. Tell me, how long has she been sick?"

"Today marks day four, and with each passing day, she has only gotten worse, not better."

"Have you tried giving her anything in an attempt to heal her yourselves?" Greta asked as she poured water into a bowl. After, she took a rag and dipped it in the water and then placed the rag on Lena's forehead.

Murtagh played with his fingers, casually listening as Eragon explained about the Maticaria Flower. Greta's eyes widened at the mention of the flower. "Well, it seems you do know a little about plants and medicine. I am impressed." She thought for a moment, and then said, "But if you used the Maticaria Flower, then you had to have been traveling near the bog?"

"Yes, how did you know? The flower grows all over Alagaesia."

"True, but that is where most of them grow in this region. I myself have travelled there many times to collect the plant."

"Oh," Eragon said.

"So, you went passed the bog. Hmm…Do you know if your wife is allergic to anything? The rash and swelling of her throat can be from a severe allergic reaction."

"I am not sure. It could be, but how can we know for sure?"

"Through the process of elimination. Though, if I can rule out allergies, we would be much better off. How has your wife's overall health been? Does she have a history of being chronically ill?"

Eragon shook his head. He could not expose the fact that Lena is not really his wife and that she has only been in Alagaesia for less than a month. He did not know her medical history, so he shook his head to avoid saying anything suspicious.

"Let me get my book, please excuse me." Greta left the room and returned shortly with a thick book that had a red cover and silver lettering. "Her symptoms include a high fever," she rummaged through the book, "a rash, swollen lymph nodes…What other symptoms does she have? I covered the most apparent, but does she have any nausea, headaches, drowsiness…"

"Almost everything. She vomited the night her rash showed up and she had a fever and a headache. Her throat became sore and swollen the day after and she could barely eat or drink due to her nausea. She is dehydrated and I fear she has become delirious."

Greta's face paled. "Are you sure it all happened in that order?"

"Yes." Eragon did not like the look she gave him. Even Murtagh perked up, uncertain.

She flipped to a page that had a picture of a mosquito. "For her sake, you had better hope I am wrong; it sounds like she may be suffering from Manilria."

Eragon glanced at Murtagh, his palms sweaty. He never thought about the deadly mosquito virus that wiped out almost half of the human population hundreds of years ago. It was very rare for someone to contract the virus since their race has formed an immunity over the long years. If Lena had the virus, she would look very suspicious, a prospect that frightened him just as much as the virus itself.

"You looked flushed, are you all right?"

Eragon sighed, "I fear you may be right. For complicated reasons, we traveled through the swamp and now she may be suffering from the consequences."

"I see. Well, in that case, I will administer the medication used to treat Manilria. I will give her a strong dosage since she appears to have a severe case of the virus, assuming that is her affliction."

"If the medicine fails, will it make her sicker?"

"No, she will simply remain as she is and we will have to come up with another solution."

Greta propped the book open on her long counter enabling her to read the ingredients as she scrambled around fetching herb after herb. Before she began preparing the medication, she stopped and asked, "You do have money to pay me with—correct? I hate to be mean, but I am running a business, not a charity."

Eragon dipped his head. "I understand." After, he grabbed a few coins from his pouch for proof. "We do not have much, but we should be able to cover the medicine."

"Good."

Greta was a fast, and hard worker, a quality that Eragon admired. While she worked, she asked Eragon and Murtagh about their travels in an attempt to keep them from becoming bored. She also wanted to know about her guests, though, she became discouraged when they did not say very much, especially Murtagh.

"He is a quiet one, isn't he?" she whispered to Eragon while she administered the medicine to Lena.

Eragon shrugged. "He usually talks more, but ever since Trisha became ill, he has become almost mute."

"How do you know each other?"

"He's one of my friends."

"Really?" Greta did not seem convinced, and Eragon did not know why for he was telling the truth.

"Yes…" That was all he could say.

"I thought he was your brother or cousin or something. The two of you just seem related is all. Oh well, I guess my intuition is not always correct."

Eragon chuckled at the remark. "We seem related?"

"Aye. Your relationship with him has a brotherly tone. You must be close friends then."

Eragon nodded. All the while, Murtagh remained quiet, staring at the floor.

By evening, Greta gave the men a few options. They could stay there and pay for a meal and lodging, or they could seek a real inn. "I think we had better stay here. I don't want to move Trisha, nor do I want to be apart from her."

"I figured as much, but I had to make my offer." They paid only a few silver coins for their meal and slept on the chairs.

In the morning, Eragon was pleased to find that Lena had improved. Her throat was not as swollen and she was more conscious. Her fever was still apparent as was her rash, but her nausea had subsided, so she was able to eat and drink. "The medicine is working!"

"It seems that way. Still, if you want, I can make an ointment for her rash. I think that will work better."

"Sure, go ahead," he said, pleased with her work.

"Also, could you fetch me some water? I do not like to leave my patients, nor do I like to have strangers in my house unattended, no offense."

"None taken." Eragon stood up and stretched his cramped muscles. "I guess I will pick up some breakfast while I am out as well." He kissed Lena on her forehead to keep up their pretense. "I will be back soon. I love you." He kissed her forehead again.

Taking a deep breath, Eragon exited through the shop door. He did not like leaving Lena, but he did not want to stand out either. He carefully strolled over to a pavilion selling bread. He bought two loaves and then proceeded to buy some cheese and fruit. When he finished, he walked over to the well. His heart quickened when he saw the guard who had let him into the village talking to another guard. They noticed his presence and ceased talking. Eragon forced himself to ignore their glares to fetch the water. He was glad when they did not follow him, but he had a sinking feeling nonetheless.

Back inside the shop, he quietly relayed his experience to Murtagh. For the first time since their arrival at the herbalists, he showed more emotion than a blank face. "We must leave then. This was risky to begin with, but we still got the help we needed. Let's just buy the medicine and leave."

Greta was busy rubbing the ointment on Lena's skin, paying no attention to the whispering men when her eyes noticed the woman's bracelet. She made sure the men were not looking when she examined it more closely. Suddenly curious, she paced over to her book shelf. In the background, Eragon was still talking to Murtagh.

"We do not know that our cover has been blown. I told you they were suspicious, but that does not mean they know who we really are."

Murtagh sighed and rubbed his temples. "I know you want to stay here until _Trisha_ is healed, but we really should leave."

Smiling, Greta pulled a book from the shelf and browed through the pages. She was about to put the book back, feeling discouraged, when she finally found the page she was looking for. Satisfied, she closed the book and put it back.

"Okay, we will leave." Eragon was peeved but Murtagh was right. He was too convincing to ignore and despite what Eragon thought, he knew he had to listen. It was for the best. Turning, Eragon addressed Greta. "I want to thank you for your help, it is most appreciated, but now we must go."

"Already? But your wife is not yet fully healed. I recommend that you stay."

"It's…" Eragon was unsure what to say.

"It's important that we leave." Murtagh placed his hand on Eragon's shoulder for support.

Greta sighed. "Fine. Your business is your own. As long as I am paid, I am fine."

"Good. Now, speaking of payment, how much do we owe you?" Eragon asked, thankful for Murtagh's help.

"Well, I was going to ask for a five gold coins, but…"

"Five gold coins…" Eragon knew some of the ingredients used were expensive, but five was still too much.

"But what?" Murtagh did not like where she was leading the conversation.

"I want something else, something better." She walked over to the bed where Lena lay and lifted up her right arm. Lena was awake and conscious, but her throat was still sore and she chose not to speak much. "I want this bracelet."

Eragon frowned. "No."

"No?" She narrowed her eyes.

"I cannot give you the bracelet, but we will give you eight gold coins. That's all the gold we have and it is a very generous offer."

"It is, but I am not accepting gold as payment; I want the bracelet." She began to unclasp the bracelet, Lena telling her to stop with her hoarse voice. Before she could take it off, Eragon stepped in and placed his hand over the piece of jewelry.

"I said no."

"Aren't you more concerned with her health than her bracelet? Come now, you can hand it over."

"It's not mine to give."

Greta's eyes widened. "Not yours to give? Huh. I thought she was your wife, meaning what is hers is also yours…or did you forget that?"

"You're trying to trick me into giving something away. It won't work."

"Ah, but it has worked; you've given everything away! She is not your wife and he is not just some friend of yours. Anyways, that does not matter. What matters is my payment. I helped her and you owe me."

Eragon glanced over at Murtagh for guidance. After looking at Eragon's pitiful face, he said, "Greta, we are grateful, but we do need to leave. As for payment, please accept the eight gold coins. We do not wish to cause you any trouble."

"I will decide the payment; this is my shop!" she snapped. Murtagh growled under his breath and gave Eragon the look; the look that meant he should contact Saphira, they were leaving and they would not be leaving quietly.

"Well, we tried being cooperative, but it seems we have no choice." Eragon closed his eyes and called upon his magic. Using a short and simple spell, he made Greta become silent and still. "Grab the medicine and let's go," he said to Murtagh. He led Lena out the door and untied Snowfire. They only waited a minute before Murtagh joined them.

The spell became increasingly difficult to hold the farther was from the shop. After warning Murtagh, he released the spell. Almost immediately, the village's guard were upon them. _Saphira, where are you?_

_I am almost there!_

In the distance, he heard Saphira roar, causing some of the guards to cower in fear. Eragon steered his horse towards the south gate of the village where a long line of guards stood. He kicked his horse to go faster; he had no intention of stopping. If the guards were stupid enough to get trampled on, that was their fault. He heard one of the guards shouting orders. "Stand your ground; do not let them escape!"

On the roof, a group of men began shooting arrows at them. Using magic, Eragon managed to deflect them. The line of guards became closer. In Lena's ear Eragon whispered, "Hold on." Seconds before they crashed into the line, a jet of flame erupted upon the men causing them to scatter. Eragon had shielded his companions from the inferno allowing them to travel safely through the flame.

_Thanks Saphira!_

_You're welcome, Little One. Now, ride hard!_


	14. Chapter 14

The Return of the Guardian

Chapter 14

Eragon was not relieved when the village's guards gave up on their pursuit. He knew that they would just inform the King and the King would send his minions, the Urgals, or worse, the Ra'zac. For two nights they did not camp, rather, they took short breaks before continuing on. When they were finally exhausted, Saphira made them set up camp. _I am stronger than you, so I can stay up longer. I will keep first watch while you sleep. Tomorrow, you will keep watch and I will sleep. We need the rest._

She was right. If they were attacked, they lacked the strength to defend themselves, and Eragon did not like that option either. _Fine._ Eragon halted his horse and explained to Murtagh what Saphira had said. "We should risk a fire as well. The nights have been cold and our food would taste better heated."

Eragon could not help but chuckle. "I agree." He helped Lena off Snowfire before setting up her bed. Each day, he made sure to administer her medication, and it has helped, but the lack of sleep did not. She was awake, but only just. "Do you think you can stay awake until dinner, or do you just want to head to bed now?"

Lena shrugged. "I don't know, but I will try to stay awake. I am really hungry." Her voice was still hoarse, but that was only one of the few symptoms that still ailed her. The fever, rash, nausea, and vomiting had all been treated leaving her with only a sore throat and a few headaches. Upon leaving the village, Eragon was unsure how Lena would fare, but he was impressed by her strength and surprised that she was still awake, even though he knew that she was not all there mentally. She was in a delicate state of mind, but he was glad that she was all right.

"Why don't you just sit down next to Saphira, her body heat can keep you warm." Taking her by the hand, he led her to his dragon. When Murtagh had finished building the fire and heating up the food, he handed two bowls to Eragon.

"You might have to feed her, else, she may fall asleep in her bowl," he said, gazing at Lena with sympathy.

"I think you are right." Eragon sat down next to her. "Lena?"

At the mention of her name, she forced her eyes open to stare into his blue orbs, but only for a few seconds as her eyelids became heavy once more. She heard her name again and tried to open her eyes, but to no avail. She was tired, so very tired. She heard Eragon hand back the bowl of food and prop up against Saphira. He was close, less than a foot away, but he was still too far for her. With all her strength, she maneuvered herself until her head rested upon his shoulder. Feeling safe, warm, and comfortable, she allowed sleep to take her.

Eragon was stunned by her actions, Murtagh laughing hysterically in the background. Lena had snuggled up to him and had fallen asleep on his shoulder. Granted, he welcomed the fact that he had become her pillow, but he was still trying to process what had happened. When Murtagh caught his breath, he said, "She _really_ likes you." Behind him, Saphira vibrated as she hummed in amusement.

"Stop it, the lot of you. Lena is ill and is not herself, you know that."

Murtagh rolled his eyes. "You are still trying to use logic? It won't help, not in this situation."

"What do you mean?" Eragon was confused.

"Look at her; she's tired, so tired that her defenses are gone, making her rely purely on instinct. And, her instinct is telling her to be with you." He winked.

"Shut up, you made that up."

"I did not!" He raised his arms in defense.

Saphira laughed harder. _You might want to listen to him on this, Little One._

_What, you agree? _Eragon could not believe what he was hearing. _You sure I am not asleep and this is all a strange dream?_

_Oh, stop your whining. Be glad she likes you; it's what you wanted anyways._

Eragon could not respond for she was right. "Right, if she subconsciously likes me, then what happens when she wakes up?"

"Ah, you mean when she finally gains consciousness and finds herself asleep on you. Simple, just pay attention to her reaction. If she is embarrassed, then you know full well that she likes you, but is too shy to admit it. If she becomes a bit startled, but eventually accepts it, then you know she likes you as well. That is the reaction you really want because she has accepted that she likes you and is no longer hiding the truth."

"How will I know if she has accepted the truth?"

"She will just stay glued to your shoulder."

"Oh…"

"Now, listen carefully, the reaction you do not want is disgust. If she wakes up and becomes angry or disturbed in any way, you have trouble. Your reaction plays a role as well."

"What?"

"It's best if I give you an example. Let's say she wakes up and accepts her feelings, but you say something stupid that gets her upset. Now you just ruined what you took so long to build. Relationships are fragile, especially early on. You finally got her to openly love and trust you, well subconsciously, but tomorrow is the main test. Don't screw up."

"Gee, thanks." Eragon said with heavy sarcasm.

Murtagh smiled. "Oh cheer up. I am sure you will do fine, that last bit was just me trying to scare you."

"Of course." Eragon rolled his eyes before returning his gaze back to Murtagh. They stared at each other for about ten seconds before they erupted in laughter. "Right, I think we should get some sleep," he said as soon as he could breathe again.

Murtagh nodded and unrolled his blanket. "Good night, Eragon."

"Good night." Only minutes passed before the two men were fast asleep, the mighty dragon keeping watch in the still night.

Eragon winced as a sharp pain infiltrated his head. He could feel sweat upon his brow and his heart beating fast, but he could not escape the prison of his mind. Clenching his fists, he endured for what seemed like hours, until his world became pitch black and the pain subsided. Before consciousness could take over, the woman with raven black hair emerged from the darkness, blood streaming down her face.

A soft, angelic, voice called his name, guiding him out of the darkness and into the light, quite literally. Eragon closed his eyes immediately as the sun nearly blinded him. "Eragon?" Carefully re-opening his eyes, squinting into the bright light, he could make out the outline of Lena hovering above him. The golden rays of the sun made her look as if she really were glowing like an angel. Her beauty was breathtaking, but his reaction as short lived as the darkness of his dream perverted his mind once again.

With a yelp, he sat up, almost slamming into Lena, and clutched his head. "Eragon, are you all right? What's the matter?"

"It was that recurring dream again, wasn't it?" Murtagh's sudden voice started Lena.

Eragon looked at Murtagh and nodded. "It was the dream, but this time it was different; it was darker, more sinister, and she called out to me. She needs my help."

"Wait, what? What dream. Tell me, what is going on." Lena backed away from Eragon and crossed her arms.

Murtagh sighed, "Lena, he had the dream of the imprisoned woman again."

"Oh," Lena stared at the ground. "So, he told you about the dream but not me."

"No…I thought you knew." Murtagh faced Eragon once more. "Tell me that you told her and that she just forgot."

Eragon stared at him blankly and shook his head. "No, I don't think I told her."

Lena uncrossed her arms, "Why didn't you tell me?"

Eragon shrugged. Out of the corner of his eye he saw Murtagh frantically shake his head as if to say, "no" to something. Unsure what else to say, he glanced at Lena and said, "I just forgot." Murtagh threw up his hands and Lena glared at him with cold eyes.

"You just forgot. Wow." She scoffed and crossed her arms again.

Realization began to take hold of Eragon as he shifted his gaze from Lena to Murtagh. "Oh no," he whispered under his breath. Standing up, he rushed over to Lena.

"Stay away from me."

"Lena, I didn't mean it like that. The last time I had that dream you were asleep and Murtagh noticed my discomfort. I told him about the dream and by the time morning came around, it never occurred to me that I should have told you. I'm so sorry."

Lena looked at Murtagh. "He is telling the truth."

"Fine, he's telling the truth, but it doesn't matter now."

"What?" Even Murtagh became confused.

"You said that you need to help her. Is that what you do? Help women in distress? Hmm?"

Eragon became defensive. "No! Lena, I—"

"Really? 'Cause to me it sure looks that way. Tell me, did you dream if me before I came stumbling down the hill with the wolves behind me?" Lena practically screamed, tears forming at the corners of her eyes.

"No." Eragon reached out for her hand, but she recoiled.

"I trusted you, Eragon." Without any warning, she ran off to be alone.

"Lena!" Eragon was about to run after her, but before his feet could move, Murtagh knocked him to the ground. "Murtagh, get off me."

"Listen to me; you remember what I said to you last night. Well, you screwed up and if you run after her, you are going to dig yourself into an even deeper hole. Let her go for now; she needs her space. In a little while, I will go and talk to her."

"Look, I made a mess of things and I am going to be the one to clean it up, not get off of me!"

"Stop being so damn stubborn, Eragon."

"Get off!" Reciting a phrase in the Ancient Language, Eragon forced Murtagh off of him, making him hit his back against a tree.

"Fine! Go lose her forever." Murtagh fumed.

"Shut up!"

_Eragon!_ Saphira's roar made the two men silent. _You may not listen to him, but you will listen to me. Let Lena calm down; talking to her now will make her even more upset. Women are jealous creatures, trust me, I know. Pretty words are not enough anymore; you need to prove that you love her through your actions now._

_Saphira, I took care of her when she was ill—I risked everything to make sure she got better. How is that not proof?_

_Little One, you have to show your love differently. You want to help the imprisoned woman as well, and to Lena, that woman is a threat. Do you understand now? _

Eragon sat down upon a boulder, placing his head in his hands. "How can I prove my love?"

Murtagh carefully got up and paced over to Eragon. "Give Lena some time to see that your love is true, despite the compassion you give to others. I think she has been hurt in the past, else, she may not have reacted this strongly. Will you let me talk to her later?"Giving up, Eragon nodded. "Good." When Eragon did not look satisfied, he said, "She still loves you, Eragon; she is just upset. Remember that."

By evening, Murtagh deemed it time to find Lena. "I doubt she went far; she knows the woods are dangerous." After searching the area for about ten minutes, he finally found the young woman sitting under a tree, hugging her knees. Her eyes were red and puffy from the tears she had shed, making her look quite pitiful. The sight made Murtagh almost want to weep as well.

"Lena?" He was answered with silence. "Lena, I just want to know if you are all right. It's getting dark and I was getting worried." He knew Eragon was worried sick as well, but he purposely left out his name.

"How can I face him? I can't, not after what happened. What am I to do?"

"Lena, you cannot be out here all alone."

"But I am not alone."

"Do not say that, Lena. You know what I meant." When he was certain that she would not come onto him again, he continued, "You have to come back sometime, so it might as well be sooner rather than later."

"You don't understand. I can't face him."

"You're afraid, why?" He crouched down before her.

"We can never be a couple, Murtagh."

"You still love him."

Lifting her head she met his gaze. "With all my heart."

"But you are still really mad at him. Lena, in time—"

"No." Her tone was heavy and serious.

"Excuse me?" Murtagh was sure he knew why Lena was upset, but so far, she showed no signs of her previous anger.

"I already have forgiven him, but I cannot be with him anymore."

"Lena, what is this about; what is really troubling you?"

"I can't tell you." She felt her eyes become wet once more.

"Why not? Have I not proven myself to be a trusted companion?" Right after the words slipped out, he mentally chastised himself. "Sorry, I shouldn't have said that."

"It's fine. I can't tell you because I do not know _how_ to tell you. I am different, Murtagh."

Begging, he asked, "Can you please try?"

Lena became quiet for a moment before she sighed. "All right. I am not like most Alagaesian girls because I am not from Alagaesia. I am from Earth."


	15. Chapter 15

Return of the Guardian

Chapter 15

Murtagh's expression was priceless. His jaw hung open in complete awe and his eyes were glued to Lena's as if he were searching for any indication that she was bluffing. Alas, she was telling the truth and he could sense it. "How can that be?" He finally said after coming to his senses.

"I don't know, but here I am," Lena lifted her hands in the air to announce her presence more dramatically.

"No." Murtagh closed his eyes and shook his head. Upon re-opening his eyes he said, "No, you are only some story. How can you be real?"

A cool breeze unsettles the leaves above them making Lena shiver. Evening was drawing nearer. Murtagh unclasped his cloak and handed it to her. "Take this it's cold out here."

Unwilling to deny his courtesy, Lena grabbed the cloak and wrapped it around her slender frame. Going back to their previous conversation, she asked, "You know about the prophecy?"

Murtagh nodded. "My mentor, he taught me things, even things that are forbidden. He had so many scrolls in his library and he allowed me to read any one I wanted.

" Anyways, one night he led me to his chambers where he took out a scroll that had been hidden. It was very old; the paper was thin and the ink had all but faded, but a few paragraphs could still be read. It was about you, a girl from Earth who would end up in Alagaesia."

Lena remained quiet as she listened to Murtagh. The wind gradually picked up and she had reason to believe that a storm was brewing. Despite the weather, they continued to sit in the woods, talking. "What you say is true, but there is something else that you do not know that will complicate the matter."

Murtagh cocked his head. "And what would that be?"

Taking a deep breath, she calmly uttered, "I am not the only girl from Earth who is in Alagaesia right now." Once more, Lena watched as his face contorted into absolute shock.

"This is folly, how can there be two of you?"

Lena shrugged. "I have no idea."

Running his hands through his hair, Murtagh asked, "How do you know there is another?"

Resting her head against the tree trunk, she allowed her memory to flit back to the afternoon she shared with Eragon in Dras Leona. The events seemed so long ago and a sense of nostalgia gripped her. "We, that is Eragon and I, were wandering around in Dras Leona. This was only a few weeks ago," she paused, briefly, and then said, "Actually it was a few days before we met you."

"Really?"

"Yes. Galbatorix had paid a visit that day and he had brought her, Morgan Fey." At the mention of her name, her tone had become bitter. Taking notice of her discomfort, Murtagh had to ask why the name offended her. "You really want to know, don't you?"

Murtagh nodded. "I have declared Morgan to be my sworn enemy." After, she explained what Morgan had done to her and her friends back in high school much like she had done with Eragon. When she had finished, she had to take some deep breaths to calm down. It never failed; whenever she had to talk about Morgan, she became upset.

"I'm sorry." His voice was soft and comforting.

"It's not your fault."

"Still, you have been through a lot and I am sorry for the pain she has caused you."

"That is very kind of you." For the first time in hours, she cracked a small smile.

Murtagh smiled back, but sighed afterward. "I finally understand your predicament with Eragon."

Lena nodded and became solemn. "What am I to do? It has always been said that the heart does not listen to reason, yet, how can two very different people be together? I do not belong here, Murtagh."

"You may not have been born here, but you were still brought here nonetheless."

"But what of my family and friends back on Earth? If time has passed just as much there as here, then they must be worried sick!" In her head, she could imagine her mother contacting the police for a search and rescue.

Murtagh averted his eyes and stared at the ground, thinking. He would never relate to her situation, but perhaps if he found the right words to say, he could bring her some peace. "I cannot presume to know how you are feeling, but, I can encourage you to stay strong. We do not know what the future will hold; all we know is what has been and what is. Right now you are in Alagaesia and you will learn you purpose. I believe that once you have achieved your goal, you will be brought home. However, is that what you really want?"

Lena swallowed past the lump in her throat, uncertain. With each passing day, she became more attached to the world around her. The fear of losing all connection to Earth frightened her, but the fear of losing Eragon was even greater. Her body had become a battleground of emotions and she had no idea what she really wanted.

"Do any of us ever know what we want in life? It seems we just stumble around until we find something to cling to; some spark of love or hint of hope. It is what keeps us going—it is what keeps us from going mad. Yet, how are we ever certain that we have made the right choice? Even if I decide to stay in Alagaesia, we still cannot be a couple. He is immortal and I am not. Either way I cannot win." She closed her eyes and allowed her tears to flow once more.

"Lena…" Murtagh crawled next to her and took her in his arms allowing her to cry on his shoulder. "It's going to be all right. You'll see." He held her even after she stopped crying. The two became silent, listening only to the sounds of the woods. The branches swayed, rustling the leaves, but that was about it. No chirping of birds, scampering of squirrels, or buzzing of an insect could be heard.

"Do you hear that?" He finally whispered.

"I hear nothing." That was a lie for she could hear the sound of his beating heart, a sound that lulled her into a sense of security. She was certain her love for Eragon was true, so how could it be that she allowed herself to succumb to Murtagh? Her thoughts meandered around until she happened upon a startling revelation: Murtagh was a lot like Eragon. His charm, touch, bravery, and sense of compassion were all traits that even Eragon possessed, but there was something else that made her a believer. She recalled what Greta had said while she was ill. _Related?_

Suddenly overly conscious, she pushed herself away from Murtagh. His eyes were brown like his disheveled hair, but they were soft and full of concern. "Are you all right?"

"I'm fine." Another lie. She was utterly confused and wanted answers; yet, she knew she could only receive them through careful observation. A raindrop landed upon her nose making her look up at the sky. Ominous clouds had covered the sun, the reason why it had gotten cold.

"We should head back to camp. I know you don't want to, but we really do not have much of a choice. The lack of animal noise is unusual and the weather is foul, placing us in danger," he said, standing up. Lena followed him without argument watching him closely.

A startled cry and the sound of clashing metal alarmed Lena. She was a good twenty feet from the camp and the only thing she wanted to do was help Eragon. A sharp tug of her arm made her cry out in pain as she was thrust backward. "I'm sorry Lena, but I can't have you running into danger. Since Eragon isn't here, it is up to me to protect you," he whispered into her ear. "Stay hidden amongst the trees." He let go of her to unsheathe his sword.

"I'm not afraid, Murtagh. I can fight." Lena said in desperation.

"Not well enough. Stay here." With that, he ran off to help his other companions.

Saphira lashed out at the ugly beast with her tail, slashing his side. At the sight of her, she was very mighty, but something about her seemed off. With another hit from her tail, the Urgal fell to the ground, dead. It was then he noticed how she forced herself to stay coherent. Nearby, Eragon sword danced with three Urgals, failing to gain the upper hand. There were at least two dozen of them, and only six were slain. Completely outnumbered, Murtagh joined in the fight.

"It's about time!" Eragon yelled as he dodged a blade.

Murtagh grunted and lashed out at the beast closest to him. "There are too many of them, Eragon, we have to try and flee."

"I know, but we are surrounded and drugged. I can barely think straight."

Murtagh wanted to ask how they were drugged, but focused on the Urgal instead. When he finally killed the creature, he asked, "When you say drugged, what do you mean?" He headed over to where Eragon stood, still battling with the three Urgals.

"Before they attacked, they threw something into…" He was interrupted by his unsteadiness and almost fell over.

Murtagh paled. "It was some gas, wasn't it?"

Eragon nodded. "Every second, I feel my senses become duller."

Murtagh killed two more Urgals before they were completely surrounded. Eragon was kneeling on the ground, panting, and his dragon was in no better state. "Will you surrender?" Murtagh assumed that the Urgal talking was the leader.

Angry, Murtagh put down his sowrd. "It seems I have little choice."

The Urgal let loose an odd noise and it occurred to him that that creature was laughing. When he finished in his merriment, he turned to one of his companions and said, "Bind him and search for the girl; she can't be far."

_No!_ Murtagh screamed in his head. Before the beast could wrap the rope around his wrist, he lunged into him, knocking him to the ground. The force from the blow stunned Murtagh for a moment, but he soon gathered his wits and maneuvered around the Urgals. "After him!"

He knew that he could not get away, but he had hoped to give Lena more time to escape as he shifted his direction away from her. Minutes passed as he ran at full speed through the woods. Branches scratched his face, but he did not care. Careful not to trip, he scanned the area with scrutiny. Before long, he decided to stop and catch his breath. He needed another plan. The Urgals following him shook their heads. "Pitiful human, to think that you could out run us."

Before he could think of a new plan, he heard a scream in the distance. The Urgals in front of him glanced at each other and laughed. "I get it, you thought you could lead us away from her. Looks like your plan failed." Unwilling to face defeat, he trotted off.

"Let him go. We got who we need," and Urgal said. The other's obeyed and followed him back to the camp where they had all their prisoners tied up.


	16. Chapter 16

Return of the Guardian

Chapter 16

Lena became discouraged when she noticed Eragon and Saphira tied up and drugged as the Urgal dragged her into the camp. Despite her massive headache, she remembered Murtagh and wondered where he was. "Sit down." The Urgal pointed to where Eragon sat under a tree. Lena did as she was told and sat next to the disoriented Rider. She sat close, less than an inch away, making her feel safer and able to talk to him through whispering.

Eragon ignored Lena. He wasn't mad at her, rather, he was mad at himself. The fact that she was captured once again made him feel worthless. He was supposed to protect her and yet all he managed to do was break her heart and get her captured twice. The drug rendered him unable to use magic and severed any means of contacting Saphira with his thoughts. Unable to feel her presence within his mind, he felt empty, darkening his mood even more.

Lost in his thoughts, he dozed off. Next to him, Lena observed their predicament and tried to think of a way out. If Murtagh was not bound or killed, he was in the woods somewhere, and that meant he must be coming up with a plan to help them escape. She firmly believed he did not abandon them.

When only two Urgals remained awake to keep watch, Lena turned to Eragon, who still had his eyes closed, his chin resting upon his chest. "Eragon," she whispered. "Eragon, wake up." When he did not respond, she nudged him. "Eragon."

The sudden movement finally woke him and it took him a second to recall what was going on. Lena's hushed voice penetrated his ears making him direct his attention towards her. "What is it?" The words came out harsher than he intended, but he did not feel the need to apologize.

Lena faltered when she realized that she had no idea what to say. She was unsettled and only wanted to talk, but his tone suggested that he wanted to be left alone. "Nothing. Sorry, I—" She felt sheepish and averted her eyes, looking at the ground. "Nevermind."

Feeling like a jerk, Eragon said, "No, it's fine."

"Really?" she inquired.

"Yeah…why?"

Lena shifted her gaze to look at him again. "You just sounded upset."

"I am, though, not at you."

"Oh…" She paused before she continued. "I can't blame you if you were upset with me."

Eragon sighed. "Lena, I made the mistake, not you. I am mad at myself because it seems like I cannot do anything right. I've failed you."

"Don't say that," Lena practically begged. His words hurt her and she wanted him to stop.

"It's true. No matter how hard I try, something always goes wrong."

Saphira growled. She had been awake, remaining silent throughout their whispered conversation, but she disagreed with her Rider and wanted him to stop talking so foolishly. The two Urgals keeping watch told the prisoners to hush up.

Rolling his eyes, Eragon ignored the Urgals to say, "I am helpless and I fear that our only hope relies on Murtagh, if he will even come back to help. He just ran off."

"I am sure he will come. Anyways, speaking of Murtagh, I told him—I told him about where I am from."

Eragon paled. "Lena, why did you do that?"

"I understand your concern, Eragon, but he has become our friend. Several times he has saved us from danger, and since he is travelling with us, I thought he should know exactly who he is travelling with." As far as she was concerned, her logic was sound, yet Eragon disagreed.

"I guess he is our friend, but I still would not have trusted him with your secret."

"Why? He knows about you and yet he never ran off to inform others about your existence," Lena retorted, amused by Eragon's reaction.

"Point taken, though, I wished you would have told me sooner that you were going to tell him."

"How could I? I t was a spur-of-the-moment type of thing. Besides, it was my secret to tell, not yours."

"Fine, whatever," he said, unable to protest against her last statement. After a brief pause Eragon decided to change the subject. "Why are you talking to me anyways? I thought you were mad at me?"

Lena would have loved to toy with him, but their situation was not really appropriate for that. Instead, her mood softened as she said, "Earlier, I was mad at you, though, I already forgave you. At that time, I realized that I was mad at the wrong person. You and I are alike in that regard." Still trying to make him feel better, she attempted to add in a little humor. Judging by his confused visage, her humor backfired.

"Are you trying to tell me that you were mad at yourself as well?"

Lena nodded.

"Right, if that is your way of trying to cheer me up, your plan failed," Eragon scoffed.

She could not restrain herself when she said, "Then we are alike in that regard as well."

It took Eragon a second to realize that she was trying to be funny. Too confused to crack a smile, he asked, "Lena, what are you trying to say?"

His eyes were staring into hers, but she did not look away. In her mind, she thought about her conversation with Murtagh. She felt like she knew what she wanted, yet allowing herself to succumb to her want was a challenge. Could she give up her world for him? An image of Tany and her mother entered mind; they were the only reason she wanted to go home, yet something compelled her away. Her mind and her heart were no longer in sync and she decided to disregard reason, just for the time being.

_Murtagh is right, I was brought here for a reason, and while I am here, I should listen to my heart. It hurts too much to ignore it; I just hope I do not regret my decision later, but here goes._

Lunging forward, she gently pressed her lips against Eragon's.


End file.
